Cave Dwellings in Cappadocia, Turkey
A twenty-four hour tour of a fascinating regionBy Devorah Klein
In ancient times, two powerful volcanoes of the Central Anatolian Plateau frequently erupted, causing their lava to gush 
across the surrounding land over millions of years. Hasan Dagi and Erciyes Dagi now mark the east and west boundaries of Cappadocia, a region famous for its distinct volcanic landscape, whose soft rock has been continuously hewn by nature and the people who have lived there.
Landing in Kayseri Airport at about 7 a.m., my two companions and I had left Istanbul about two hours earlier and we were tired, but we only had one day in the Cappadocia region and we were determined to make it count. So what can you do in one day in Cappadocia? A lot!
After landing at Kayseri Airport and taking the shuttle provided by our hotel, we arrived at the Kismet Cave Hotel, and were warmly welcomed with tea and a delicious breakfast. Most of the hotels in the region are “cave hotels” which means that they are carved into the stone and provide a unique experience.
It can get very hot or cold depending on the season, and we did lose electricity for a few hours at one point, but it was all part of the adventure. Despite the slight feeling of roughing it, the beds were very comfortable and the bathroom very luxurious.
After cleaning up and eating we were finally ready to start our day at about 9 a.m. We quickly decided to rent a car from one of the many vehicle rental places so we could cover a lot of ground. Had it not been cold with the possibility of rain, we surely would have rented scooters, which would have been the perfect way to see the countryside.
Once we were armed with maps and gas, we were on our way, driving the roads out of Goreme and toward Nevsehir. The surrounding landscape featured tall rocks formed into cones with caps on top that had doors and windows carved into them, hundreds of nooks carved into mountain sides to create kind of rocky villages, and rolling hills made out of stone, all in the shadow of the giant snow-capped mountain Hasan Dagi that loomed in the distance.
We soon learned the capped cones were called “fairy chimneys,” which is actually a perfectly apt name for them. They looked magical and other-worldly and there thousands of them. Fairy chimneys are formed when a small cap or boulder of basalt (volcanic rock) remains after erosion and protects a cone of tuff (consolidated volcanic ash) beneath it from continued erosion. Many people used to live in them, hence the windows and doors, and some people still do, as we noticed gardens outside and curtains in the windows.
We finally made our way to one of the area’s numerous underground cities. Derinkuyu. Derinkuyu was probably used as temporary shelter by Christians being persecuted by various groups during various times. It has eight stories open to the public, but there may be as many as twelve. The dozens of narrow passages and numerous flights of stairs make it hard to figure out where you are, but it is easy to make out certain rooms, wells, and ventilation shafts.
Outside of Derinkuyu was perhaps one of my favorite things we had seen so far: A row of friendly Turkish women selling handmade dolls for what amounted to pennies. They hardly spoke English and they were all very conservative and modest, as is common in this area of rural countryside. We were so enamored with the dolls and the women who made them that we felt compelled to buy some from each vendor—and they made great souvenirs f
or our friends and family when we came home!
Next we drove through Pigeon Valley, a gorgeous valley that has thousands of pigeon houses carved into the soft tuff. It is a beautiful sight to see and you can do some nice hikes in it, but if you only have one day, move on to…
…Uchisar. Uchisar is a small town that has an enormous castle carved into a small mountain in the center. You can climb up it and when you get to the top you will have a beautiful view of the entire region. This is an excellent alternative to taking a hot air balloon ride, which is a very popular activity in Cappadocia, but also very time consuming and expensive.
After stopping in a nice nargilah (water pipe) café for some delicious mezze and refreshing tea—and a quick smoke of the nargilah—we continued on our adventure. Cappadocia is an area that is meant to be explored, and the best way to see it is by simply wandering into abandoned fairy chimneys or caves, climbing up hills and hiking through valleys. We saw some beautiful rock formations, amazing mountain views, and fascinating abandoned caves, and because the countryside is so relaxed we never felt the need to rush.
Of course, if you have more than twenty-four hours, there is a lot more to see, including the dozens of rock cut churches and monasteries, the wetland and reed forest areas, the Ihlara Valley, and closer explorations of Hasan Dagi and Erciyes Dagi. Just the sight from the airplane alone is enough to inspire beauty and wonder in anyone’s heart.
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