The Cappadocia region has been carved by volcanoes and erosion. Christians hid here from the Romans and during Muslim invasions to escape persecution by living in caves dug out from the soft limestone.
The cave dwellings, such as the ones in the distance, were occupied until the 1950s.
Whole communities were formed, with churches, schools, and living quarters
Pigeons cooped up in little cubbies and were used to send messages
A monastery
A penthouse suite?
Church
Karavansarays were pit stops for Silk Road travelers. They were some of the few Muslim-oriented places in this region.
A mosque inside the karavansaray ('caravan' + 'palace')
A river-side restaurant complete with eastern-style seating
Local kids riding a donkey
Even in the woods you can stop for tea
Kim bought a handmade doll from a woman in a small village
One of hundreds of underground cities built by Christians
The city stretched 8 stories and 280 feet under the ground
The narrow passages made it easy to pick off invaders as they came through
It had kitchens, a stable, communication holes, a winery, and stone doors that blocked out enemies
The town of Goreme sits among many of the old cave dwellings
Our hotel, like many, was built into the rock
Our (modern) cave room
Breakfast -- cucumbers, olives, tomatoes, cheese, jam, and a boiled egg
A restaurant with a carved-out terrace
We got up at 5:00AM for a hot air balloon ride over the region at dawn
Getting fired up
Lift off
A gentle drift
Grazing the tops of some former cave dwellings
Daybreak
Camping like it's 999
The soft limestone has been smoothed over by the wind
We weren't alone up there
Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
Up, up, and away
Table Top mountain
A valley of Fairy Chimney's, so called because of the whistling sound made when the wind blows through
Coming back down for a closer look
We're coming in for landing (and we missed!)
Sagliginiza!
Official Flight Certificates were handed out to much applause. We were so proud.
More Fairy Chimneys
Frescoes inside of the churches in the rock
A series of shops lined each of the popular tourist stops
A camel purely there for the tourists. They are not native to Turkey.
This camel was trying to sneak a snack while it was supposed to be giving rides to tourists!
Another camel (the rock on the left) and more in ”Imagination Valley“, where many rocks look like common objects (including the obligatory Virgin Mary)
High-rise cave apartments?
Swiss cheese
A potter (called “Harry”, naturally) shows us how they make the pottery common in this region
Some examples of the detailed ceramics
Goreme Open-Air Museum
Muslims, who don't believe in idolatry, removed the eyes from the frescoes
Some older and more primative paintings
A cafeteria -- note the long bench and table
A non-touristy bazaar in Nevsehir
“Why would someone take pictures of this?”
A squat toilet, not so common in Turkey, but still hard to miss
