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Destinations:

Istanbul
     Topkapi Palace    Ankara 
Cappodocia 
Konya  
Aspendos 
Perge  
Antalya 
Pamukkale 
Ephesus 
Aphrodisias   
Kusadasi 
Pergamum 
Troy 
Canakkale 
Gallipoli

In the heart of Anatolia lies a rugged, winding landscape where the intricate carvings of nature and man have been recorded for centuries.  Above ground, the extremely malleable volcanic tuff has been shaped by the elements into a balancing act of cones and "fairy chimneys." 

The valley of Goreme where churches were carved into the stone of the region between the 7th and 13th centuries. At its height, Goreme is said to have had a church for every day of the year. The interiors of the caves are decorated with colorful, biblical frescoes celebrating the beliefs of early Christians. Descend beneath the surface of the earth and visit cities as deep as 140 feet underground where early Christians fleeing persecution could live for months at a time undetected.

Ortahisar to the south-west is dominated by the Kale, a tall rock outcrop riddled with tunnels and windows, and visible for miles around. There's a pleasant walk to Goreme along the signposted Dovecote Valley where the rock face is riddled with holes cut to attract nesting pigeons and their valuable fertilizer-providing droppings.

Click on a picture to enlarge.

Ancient caravan stop information sign The building with the information sign Cappadocia silk factory Cappadocia silk factory Cappadocia silk factory Cappadocia silk factory Silk worm cocoons Silk worm cocoons being washed Local cart in front of our Kappodocia Inn. That's our bus in front of the hotel. Cave churches of Goreme built around 850 A.D. John on hillside church Structure built into the cliffs Frescoes on the walls of a large church carved in the soft stone Frescoes on the walls of a large church carved in the soft stone Frescoes on the walls of a large church carved in the soft stone Frescoes on the walls of a large church carved in the soft stone Frescoes on the walls of a large church carved in the soft stone Frescoes on the walls of a large church carved in the soft stone Frescoes on the walls of a large church carved in the soft stone Very high cathedral ceilings More of the structure More frescoes More frescoes More frescoes Fairy chimmeys in form of a camel Local camel for comparison More fairy chimmeys near Zelve cappadocia-26 More interesting formations Houses carved in the soft stone Urgup is a town carved in the soft ufa stone More carvings Snow capped mountain in background Another picture of Urgup Another closeby ancient town of Uchisar with "skyscapers" Derinkuyu is a huge underground city up to 20,000 population inhabited since 5th century B.C. Libby in the underground city John showing the height of the ceiling - must have been short people Ortahisar, or middle fortress, is a series of buildings which served as houses and warehouses More of Ortahisar More of Ortahisar More of Ortahisar Interesting market - all natural Kids flocked to the bus when we stopped to take pictures lightbox gallery cmsby VisualLightBox.com v6.1