Across wide volcanic plains to the gate of Cappadocia

At what feels like 27 degrees Celsius and sunshine, we set off at the beginning of April near Side in the direction of Cappadocia. More than 500 kilometres lie ahead of us. Of course, we don’t want to just “drive them to death”, but also experience something of the route and its special features. The road leads us through parts of the Taurus Mountains, it is already dark, and when a sign announces the current altitude metres, we can hardly believe our eyes: We are consciously passing 1800 altitude metres for the first time!

Our first stop is the Tinaztepe Cave, which lies a little lower at an altitude of about 1500 metres. There is actually still snow here, although at this altitude it is now also already temperatures of around 19 degrees with sunshine.

The cave is the longest underground cave in Turkey and is part of a 230 million year old cave system. It was formed by underground rivers that dug deeper and deeper through the rock over millions of years, leaving behind interesting formations and erosions. Over 1300 metres of the cave are accessible to tourists. It is not a dripstone cave, but it can boast underground smaller and larger lakes and waterfalls – especially in the current time of snowmelt. We have the luxury of exploring this underground world of silence all to ourselves and take our time.

Follow us underground with just one click:

 

 

After an undisturbed night in the car park under a shining canopy of stars, we continue to former volcanic territory near the town of Karaman. Several volcanic cones and crater lakes can still be seen here. It is the landscape of a barren, endlessly wide and almost treeless plateau. This area is hardly known to tourists. We want to visit the “1001 churches”, the Binbir Kilise, which were built there in Byzantine times between the 3rd and 10th centuries. Only their ruins can still be found in the almost abandoned village of Ückuyu and the surrounding villages. At first glance, they do not seem very spectacular, but if you give this world time to show itself in its entirety, the multitude of church and monastery ruins, some of which can still be guessed at, is impressive. We again have a lot of fun and fascination in drawing each other’s attention to discovered remains and details and in feeling our way into the past.

Travel back in time with us by clicking on the gallery:

 

 

Here we also sleep unmolested among ruins – whether these are from houses or churches remains hidden from us – and then move on to a night at the crater lake Acigöl, which lies at an altitude of just under 1100 metres. The landscape remains barren and desolate and after a while the wind that has been with us for months changes to strong gusts that challenge our mobile home and us. Everything sways and wobbles and the air is full of dust particles. All the more we are amazed at the lake by a multitude of tortoises enjoying their lives here and by Egyptian vultures circling overhead.

After a night on site and a few bike laps around the lake, we set off again, driven by the storm wind and the barren surroundings – Cappadocia, here we come!

Insights into this other world with a click on the following gallery:

 

 

Our gateway into this fascinating landscape is the Ihlara Valley, a gorge several kilometres long. It is possible to drive right up to the edge of the gorge. So we park our rolling home with spectacular views and feel like we are on another continent.

The disadvantage of this exposed location is the susceptibility to wind, which we feel especially during a night with gusts of up to 90 km/h. Here we realise once again how much closer we are to the forces of nature when we don’t live in a home made of stone – and the word forces of nature takes on a vivid meaning!

Byzantine monks settled on the slopes of the gorge as early as the 7th century. On our walks down into the valley and along the river flowing there, we discover the first cave dwellings and churches. Here, as in all of Cappadocia, these were dug into the soft tuff, a rock consisting largely of volcanic ash.

But the weathering also has an easy time with the soft material and forms interesting shapes in many places. This and entire cave cities ultimately made Cappadocia so famous.

Explore the Ihlara Valley with us in the following gallery:

 

 

Soon you can join us on our discovery tour through this tuff world and its wonders – among other things, one of the most beautiful man-made feasts for the eyes of this time awaits you 🙂

Best regards

Sophia and Chris

 

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