The Journey to Cappadocia

We are on our way to Goreme, in the famous district of Cappadocia.  We make a few stops on the way to appreciate both the history and the landscape of this amazingly scenic part of Turkey.   

Our first stop is the Gumusler Monastery, a few kilometers out of Nigde.  We have the place to ourselves and our local guide explains the history of these underground caves that supported a large community of about 2000 monks.  The monks lived in small communities of about 20 people, each community sharing the duties of day to day living.  Their quarters consisted of a well for drinking, a large kitchen for communal cooking, store rooms for wine and oil and of course a church with beautiful frescoes originating from about the 7th century.  The underground caves also had burial areas and we see bones scattered in the burial holes reminding us that a bustling community  once inhabited this abandoned place. 

We stop for a walk through the Ihlara Valley.  It is a beautiful canyon with majestic cliffs and Byzantine churches.  Remnants of  beautiful frescoes cut into the rock remind us of their former glory. 

We follow the bubbling Melendiz Suyu River, as it winds its way down the bottom of the valley.  It is a beautiful winters day, with white clouds forming interesting pattern in the bright blue sky.  We can’t believe how fast the deserts of Jordan and Syria have been replaced by gorgeous mountain scenery.  The browns give way to greens and blue.  Absolutely gorgeous. It is an easy walk, mostly through the bottom of the valley which comes to an end almost too soon at the picturesque restaurant where we dine on freshly caught trout and green salads. 

Our next stop is to visit the Underground City of Derinkuyu, one of the largest underground complexes of Cappadocia.  Most of the complex consists of fairly small underground rooms connected by passageways that were often quite narrow and short.  This underground city was carved out of the rock on multiple levels and used as hiding places by the early Christians and possibly Greeks hiding from marauding Arabs. 

While about 20 levels have been discovered, only 8 can be visited today. We explore this underground city, marvelling at the big stone doors that were once rolled against entrances, providing some defence from intruders.  The underground city had all of the elements of a modern day city from a religious school to storage for wine.  It has been an interesting visit but it is time to head out to Goreme, and our cave home for the next 2 nights. 

 The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."

— Attributed to Goethe