Caves of Cappadocia

I edited this with one of those fancy Instagram filters. Don`t forget to follow me on Instagram!
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Cappadocia is a cavernous wonderland which infuses ancient honeycomb style architecture with modern furniture!  

 

Cave Hostel

 Turkey is overall a beautiful country with a lot of potential and Cappadocia is one of the most unique places one could visit.

It maintains remarkable historical consistency. People continue to live and dwell in caves there and have done so for hundreds of years!

 I wonder how many residents find the sound of the ATV tours annoying?

Both the modern and ancient dwellings are stunning. 

Consider going deep into the original underground city of Derinkyu! This place is an unbelievable rocky metroplex connecting to 40 other underground cities in Cappadocia {source} .

There were so many stony pathways that it was hard to know where I had already explored or not.

There`s quite a lot of narrow tunnels with enough dark spots to give you a sense of adventure and possibly fear.  

I believe this was a ventilation shaft. According to Turkey`s official tourist promotion website, holes in the ceiling could also be used to poke spears out of in order to stab enemies` eyes! 

The Sun

I had to crouch down low to fit inside here:

I hope it wasn`t a medieval toilet 

Derinkyu isn`t just a rocky preference or a shelter from UV rays. The cavernous metroplex was actually a shelter from persecution used by early Christians. The cavernous complex even had traps for invaders and stones could be rolled to block certain paths. 

Stone Door!

 I noticed that many of the stairs and walking paths were quite narrow. I imagine walking between underground cities on a regular basis would carve claustrophobia into the psyche permanently. The harrowing narrowness is no accident however, since it would have forced any large groups of infiltrators to walk in a single-file line thus rendering them more vulnerable {source} 

🌟🌟

Now let`s talk about the more modern cavernous homes many of which were stone-carved a few hundred years later from the 18th and 19th centuries! 

One may think of these hillside homes as giant rocky versions of hobbit holes. 

Cappadocian rock has unique physical properties which make it ideal for stonework. 

Imagine living inside a giant spearhead

There`s an endless variety of  stylized stones to leave you mesmerized.     

I just started an Instagram at the time and over edited the hell out of this pic.

Although Cappadocia is a famous tourist destination, it is so vast that finding uncrowded spots is not as hard as its rocks. (please excuse my bad attempt to be punny)   

The scenery at sunset is also beautiful 

Cappadocia might have countless tons of boulders but don`t worry, there`s plenty of vegetation too. 

I climbed this mulberry tree for a delicious natural snack.

I also explored this empty cavernous complex which was conveniently nestled amongst a district of shops ands restaurants. 

Side Angle

I decided to stop here for some wine and the worker inside informed me that they were a new business which had opened that day and I was the first customer!

I wonder if its still around?

After that I checked out the mysterious myriad of empty cave rooms 

Then it was time to walk down a lonely dusty road which led to a view of a populated part of the city. 

This area was reminiscent of Assassins' Creed.. 

Further down the path the dusty landscape gradually changed with increased vegetation and a myriad of mesmerizing honeycomb boulders

 

hobbit hole in progress

In conclusion, it`s worth reemphasizing that Cappadocia has no shortage of unique houses!