CAPPADOCIA INFORMATION & HISTORY  

If you wish to discover Turkey in depth, travel to Cappadocia is certainly a must.
We suggest staying at least three nights there. The best times are March to June
and September to November. There are a variety of activities you may join: 
Unique place for Hot Air Ballooning in Turkey is Cappadocia. For adventure,
Horse Riding, Mountain Bike or Jeep safari, Cappadocia is selected as one
of the best areas in Europe. In the evenings, you may either just enjoy
your stay at your hotel or go in Sarihan Caravanserai near Avanos to see
the whirling Dervishes of Mevlana, founder of Sufism in Anatolia (Turkey).If you
are interested in any of the activities listed above, we may include that in one
of the following suggested day trips. We highly recommend extending your stay
in Cappadocia as we believe you will enjoy every minute of your time in such
a unique area with its welcoming people. Cappadocia, which used to be known
as Katpatuka (Land of Beautiful Horses) in old Persian, is a region in central
Anatolia, 300 kilometers southeast of Ankara, the capital city of modern-day
Turkey. Cappadocia is known for its unusual landscape, the result of the
violent eruption of volcanoes, Mount Erciyes (3,917 meters) and Mount Hasan
(3,268 meters), some 3 million years ago. Lava and volcanic dust and
ashes covered the region, which eventually hardened into a thick layer of tuff.
Over the years, water and wind eroded the soft and brittle volcanic surface,
creating deep valleys and many different types of strange rock formations,
such as rock cones and fairy chimneys. Archaeological evidence shows that
Cappadocia was inhabited as early as the Paleolithic period
(c. 2.5 million BCE –10,000 BCE), and continued to serve as home to the
peoples of many different civilizations, including the Hittites, Greeks, and the
Romans. Dwellings were dug into the rocks and provided shelter from the
environment, defense against foreign invasions, and refuge from
religious persecution. These dwellings interconnect, forming some two
hundred to three hundred underground cities, equipped with elaborate air
ventilation systems, water storage units, and in some cases, even stables
and wineries. One of the most famous and well excavated is Kaymakli,
where Christians hid from the pagan Roman invaders during the seventh
century. Parts of the underground cities are still used by Cappadocia's
present-day inhabitants. For example, underground canals are used to
regulate water in the nearby farmland, and local produce, such as
potatoes and citrus fruits, is stored in subterranean storage units. People
still live in above-ground rock structures, some of which are even used as
hotels and inns. Cappadocia is a popular tourist destination....