What has been done to it both by nature and by centuries of human society is just mind-blowing.
– Holly Runebstein on Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys
While staying in Istanbul, Robie and I traveled to the interior of Türkiye to visit Cappadocia, a land of fairy chimneys that was once part of the famed Silk Road and a refuge for early Christians.
Our visit was the realization of a childhood dream for Robie. Wanting to explore the region since peering wide-eyed at pictures of troglodyte homes in grammar school history books, after six decades he finally made it!
Cappadocia’s Popularity in Asia
Robie wasn’t the only one dreaming of visiting Cappadocia. Asian set-jetters were evidence of the latest trend in travel as they came to see locations portrayed in their favorite movies and TV shows. In Türkiye that included the South Korean romantic melodrama Güle-Güle shot entirely on location while following two former lovers unexpectedly crossing paths during a group tour of Cappadocia’s famous sites.
In the Philippines it was all about If, a romance drama featuring a couple in a long-distance relationship using the mystical landscape of fairy chimneys as a dramatic backdrop to their sweeping love story and subsequent tragedy. In China, the draw was the popular Divas Hit the Road celebrity travel reality show (just think Housewives of Wherever on a trip and shudder). After the show dedicated an entire season to Türkiye with celebrities staying in cave hotels and riding hot air balloons, it sparked a massive wave of Chinese tourists recreating their adventure on social media.
History of the Silk Road
Since ancient times Cappadocia has been a vital link between East and West. After flourishing in the Middle Ages, the region saw renewed interest when the Seljuk Turks created a sophisticated hotel system offering free food and lodging for traders at fortified stops. Under the Mongols, caravans were kept safe with rest stops across the Anatolian expanse every 20 to 30 miles. In Cappadocia, the inns were carved out of volcanic stone, and when bandits attacked, locals hid the traders in elaborate underground cities.
Home of early Christianity
Fleeing Roman persecution, many early Christians fled to Cappadocia’s rugged landscape and used the region’s unique geologic formations to carve massive underground cities hidden from the outside world. Despite their remote home in the wilderness, Christians continued to be persecuted as noted by the Apostle Peter in his writings to believers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia and Cappadocia. In the Gӧreme Open Air Museum, we visited their rock-cut churches painted with brilliant frescoes dating from the 4th century AD.
the old underground city
Balloons at Dawn
The main reason people visit Cappadocia today is to sail over fairy chimneys in a hot air balloon at dawn. So, every morning Robie and I faithfully rose early to watch them float peacefully above this stunning landscape.
Wonderful!