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HISTORICAL
SITES
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 THE
LOCATION OF CAPPADOCIA
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Strabon,
a writer of antiquety, describes the borders of the Cappadocian
Region, in his 17 volume book “Geographika” (Geography-Anatolia
XII, XIII, XIVI) written during the reign of Roman Emperor
Augustus. Cappadocia was discribed as a very large area surrounded
by Taurus Mountains in the south, by Aksaray in the west, Malatya
in the east and all the way up to the Black Sea coast in the
north. Though, present day Cappadocia is the area covered by
the city provinces of Nevşehir, Aksaray, Niğde, Kayseri and
Kırşehir. The smaller rocky region of Cappadocia is the
area around Avanos, Göreme, Uçhisar, Urgup, Derinkuyu, Kaymaklı and Ihlara
valley.
GEOGRAPHY
OF CAPPADOCIA
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 Cappadocia…
...That's
a unique world shaped by Mother Nature with the help of lava,
wind and water!
The name Cappadocia is derived from Old
Persian "Katpatuka" meaning Land of Beautiful
Horses.
Cappadocia is an extraordinary land, combining
unique and beautiful natural features with a fascinating cultural
and historical past. Hittites, Byzantines and early Christians
established important landmarks here, as did Mother Nature
with her stunning erosion of the soft volcanic deposits.
The ancient region of Cappadocia lies in central
Anatolia, between the cities of Nevsehir, Kayseri and Nigde.
Here, the traveller finds one of the most fantastic landscapes
in the world. Wind and weather have eroded soft volcanic rock
into hundreds of strangely shaped pillars, cones and "fairy
chimneys", often very tall, and in every shade from pink
through yellow to russet browns.
Millions of years ago lava and volcanic ash from
the now extinct volcanoes Erciyes, Hasandagi and Golludag,
covered the plateau with tuff, creating a malleable medium
for Mother Nature's artistry. Her wind, rain and floodwaters
have gently sculpted the area creating unforgettable valleys,
magical cone-shaped monoliths, and a landscape that almost
defies description.
Humans have added their touch to the landscape
as well. Beginning in the 2nd century BC, Christians fleeing
persecution carved small, defensible refuges, high up in the
rocks of hard-to-find valleys and gorges. A very positive crowd
of early hermits, they dug monasteries and churches and completed
their work with heavenly frescoes of Jesus and stories from
the Bible. Others who added their touch to the landscape included
the Hittites, Phrygians, Medes, Persians, Romans, Seljuks and
the Ottomans.
FORMATION
OF FAIRY CHIMNEYS
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 Fairy
Chimneys are generally found in the valleys of the Uçhisar - Urgup - Avanos triangle,
between Urgup and Sahinefendi, around the town of Cat in Nevsehir,
in the Soganli
valley, and in the village of Selime near Ihlara
valley.
Fairy Chimneys - Formation
The interesting rock formations, known as “Fairy
Chimneys”, have been formed as the result of the erosion of
this tufa layer, sculpted by wind and flood water, running
down on the slopes of the vallyes. Water has fonud its way
through the valleys creating cracks and ruptures in the hard
rock. The softer, easily erodable material underneath has been
gradually swept away receding the slopes and in this way, conical
formations protected with basalt caps have been created. The
Fairy Chimneys with caps, mainly found in the vicinity of Avanos,
have a conical shaped body and a boulder on top of it. The
cone is constructed from tufa and volcanic ash, while the cap
is of hard, more resistant rock such as lahar or ignimbrite.
Various types of Fairy Chimneys, are found in Cappadocia. Among
these are those with caps, cones, mushroom like forms, columns
and pointed rocks.
This picture is from Avanos
Pasabaglari, phases of fairy chimneys' formation
 Sweeping
Curves and Patterns
Another characteristic feature of the area are
the sweeping curves and patterns on the sides of the valleys,
formed by rainwater. These lines of sedimentation exposed by
erosion display a range of hues. The array
of color seen on some of the valleys is due to the
difference in heat of the lava layers. Such patterns can be
seen in Avanos (Cavusin/Gulludere), Uchisar, Goreme/Meskendir,
Ortahisar/Kizilcukur and Pancarlik valleys.
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