May 12, 2022

May 12, 2022

Our first stop this morning was in Urgup at a viewpoint to see the Three Graces, three tall fairy chimneys that symbolize Cappadocia.

We then drove to the nearby town of Ortahisar to have tea with a local resident. Her town has a steep rocky hill that is honeycombed with holes. It seems most of the Cappadocia towns were built around these natural castles.

Next was our required Carpet Shop demonstration. Like Egypt they hand tie their rugs, but these women work much slower, probably because they are making intricate designs with lots of colors. Afterwards we were assigned a salesman and he clung to me like sticky rice, almost pleading for a purchase. Of course several people bought carpets. We were served lunch while watching the sales spiel.

Thirty minutes south is Kaymakli Underground City. This is an amazing place. It is like an ant hill for people. Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble would have felt at home here. The former residents probably dug holes into the hills for rooms as the Volcanic tuff is relatively easy to carve. Cappadocia was historically a Christian community. They came under attack during the Muslim conquests. It is believed that the Christians dug further into the rock for safety. And dig they did. The modern entrance is very large but the complex quickly narrows into tiny shafts that open up into bedroom-size chambers. We continue exploring until we reach a depth of 180 feet. The amount of digging the residents had to do was mind-boggling. They must have felt they were in serious danger for a long period of time. The terrain worked in their favor. The landscape is very reminiscent of the Dakota Badlands and the cave entrances would have been easy to hide. We saw how they secured one entrance. A disc-shaped rock could be rolled into a groove blocking the passage easily.

Aimee doesn't like caves so she was happy when we made it back to the surface. We then spent some time checking out the outside surface of the hill. It is heavily pockmarked with caves and holes. An enemy would have been very reluctant to enter these dark passages, not knowing the danger, and unaware an entire city was below their feet.

On the way back to the hotel we passed a section of low mesas topped with hard basalt. Digging must be in the local genetics as the hillsides are dotted with storage caves closed with garage doors. This is the Cappadocian version of our Public Storage. We saw one unit that was receiving two truckloads of potatoes for storage.

We stopped at a grocery to purchase snacks and then drove to the Meskendir Canyon trailhead. We hiked down hill following a trickle of water. Eventually the valley walls became sheer white cliffs reminding us of Zion Narrows. We even passed under several water cut arches. Normally the tuff is sculpted in gentle slopes. Here the tuff must be harder as the white cliff walls are nearly vertical. So cool! Surprisingly there are pigeon roosts carved high on the cliff seemingly impossible to reach.

We hike for two hours until the canyon widens dramatically. Our tour bus meets us at the far end and we drive to the Red Canyon Overlook to watch the sun set. A bride and groom are taking photos there. We have snacks and drink some Turkish Wine. Aimee had a great time.