Cappadocia Valley And Its Hidden Geological Beauty

Cappadocia Ballooning – Valley of the Chimneys / Photo from Traces in the Sand

Cappadocia in Turkey is an underground fantasyland of fairy chimneys and churches. The astounding geological beauty of Cappadocia is a wonder-destination of Central Anatolia. It is an extensive island district, where nature and history mix-match most beautifully. This fantasyland has so much to offer ranging from ‘fairy chimneys’ and churches cut out of soft rock formations to some amazingly intricate systems of tunnels and underground cities. It is an exotic diversity found in the crucible of culture where East meets West!

Cappadocia – Goreme Village by Traces in the Sand. The amazing and bizarre village of Goreme, literally cut from the strange rock formations of Cappadocia. / Photo from Traces in the Sand

Nestled in the center of Anatolian peninsula, Cappadocia has become one of the most notable tourist destinations in Turkey. The uniqueness of the region was formed by the eruption of Mt. Erciyes and Mt. Hassan, some 60 million years ago that spread a thick layer of ash over the area. With time, this hardened into a soft porous stone known as tufa. Coincidentally, the erosion by rain and wind created valleys in the soft rock that left behind higher sections of interesting formations known as ‘fairy chimneys’.

Village in Cappadocia / Photo from C.T. Henry

Cappadocia boasts of several underground hidden cities and intricate tunnels that were mostly used by early Christians as hiding places. The inhabitants could hide thousands of people and animals within these complexes, which had wells, chimneys, stables and even tombs.

Goreme – Celestial Canopy / Photo from Traces in the Sand

The region was a Roman province and the refuge of persecuted Christians during the early days of the Roman Empire. For most of the Byzantine era, it remained relatively undeterred by the conflicts in the area, first with the Sassanid Empire and later against the Islamic expansion led by Arabs. Though the early Christians are credited with the building of this mysterious supercity but some historians believe that few parts date back to the end of the Ice Age – 9500 BC.

Church carved from rocks by early persecuted Christians / Photo from shapeshift

The people living here used heavy rolling stone doors to prevent invaders from entering. They dug deep wells for water, and constructed tall chimneys for ventilation. Surprisingly the inhabitants even curved highly structured churches, wine presses, oil storage, cooking-places out of the rock so that they could live for weeks underground until it was safe outside.

Fairy Chimney Hotel in Göreme / Photo from Curious Expeditions

Uçhisar / Photo from ex novo

Cappadocia has dozens of underground cities, but the most elaborate ones are at Kaymakli and Derinkuyu. One of the most fascinating areas is Goreme, which accommodates an open-air museum that stands visually striking with its ‘fairy chimney’ volcanic cones. Surprisingly over 30 of the best-preserved churches of Cappadocia can be seen here. Avanos is another pretty town on the Kizilirmak, where inhabitants make their living from the malleable river clay for years, shaping everything from pots and roofing tiles to statues and more.

The huge and sprawling Selime Rock Monastery was carved out the rock by Christian monks in the 13th century. A steep climb is the only way to access it. / Photo from Curious Expeditions

Kaymakli and Derinkuyu are known as Capadocia’s deepest and the most elaborate underground cities. Kaymakli was cut out of volcanic soft stone (tufa) as deep as 300 feet during the period covering sixth to the tenth centuries. The underground city of Derinkuyu is estimated to have twenty floors, out of which only eight can be visited today with an estimated capacity to bear 20,000 people.

Kaymaklı underground city / Photo from flurryofsmoke

Map of the underground city of Kaymakli, Cappadocia, Turkey. / Photo from ddminets

Soganli valley, Uchisar, Zelve, Urgup, witnesses some splendid scenery and age-old rock carved churches and chapels that are unique geographical, historical and cultural features. The pigeon valley between Goreme and Uchisar offers spectacular views of the natural cliffs and some fabricated caves, passing through few tunnels, carved within the rock. Nearly 35 multi-level complexes including the networks at Ozkonak, Derinkuyu and Kaymakli have not yet been fully explored.

Kaymakli underground city / Photo from Amm|t

These subterranean towns with carved out rock caves, pointed termite mounted looking structures has a supernatural feeling and it is almost magnificent in all directions. These cities were abandoned in late 14^th century.

Pigeon Valley / Photo from Panpan TW

Central Turkey. Pigeon valley / Photo from Nora Shalaby

The stunnig village of Uchishar at sunset / Photo from flurryofsmoke

The Past and the Present – Pigeon Valley / Photo from BurgundyMT

                                 Selime Monastery Jutting Rock / Photo from Curious Expeditions

The Mysterious Underwater Ruins of the Lost World in Yonaguni

                                                              Yonaguni / Photo from ryoki

Yonaguni Islands epitomize the island culture of Japan in miniature. Situated 68 miles beyond the east coast of Taiwan, Yonaguni is remarkable for its rugged and mountainous coastlines. This 4 by 10 km island has a refreshingly virgin atmosphere, unspoiled by the influence of modernity. Its small populace is mostly traditional Japanese with a touching warmth and hospitality. Yonaguni is known for its wonderful natural settings that offer endless scope for adventure and exploration to spirited tourists.

However, the real attraction of these islands is the submerged ruins that you find in the southern coast of Yonaguni. A superb 100x50x25 meters man-made artifact made of solid rock slabs stands erect at right angles. Its age is estimated to be around 8000 years old, which is remarkably early for the kind of technology that has been used for carving it. Different theories exist about the possible identities of this structure.

Yonaguni Monument, thought to be a man made temple, although it is more likely that the rock carving was done by a geological component. / Photo from Nemi.Kaunistytto

While some opine that these ruins are the remnants of the missing Continent of Mu [Video], other archeologists attribute them to be the outcome of unexplained geological processes. Although when you see the finely designed hallways and staircases, this ‘natural phenomenon’ idea will appear sheer out of place.

                                                          Stairs / Photo from amakusaleanne

This wonder megalith was discovered quite accidentally by a sport diver in 1995 when he had strayed beyond the permissible limit off the Okinawa shore. He was awe struck to find the reigning stone structure on the seabed covered with coral formations. His snaps created a great sensation after they were published the next day in the major Japanese newspapers. Further searches were conducted by organized teams of experts after the initial findings and soon specimens of other ancient underwater civilizations were discovered.

                                                                   Photo from Doremon360

                                                            Photo from amakusaleanne

The interesting thing about this massive stone building was that it had arches made of beautifully fitted stone blocks bearing resemblance with the building architectural style of the Inca civilization. Debates were rife about the ruins being associated with the prehistoric Motherland of Civilization. Surveying the ruins minutely takes time and skill because of the rough oceanic currents.

                                          Okinawa Rosetta Stone / Photo from sarmoung

                                               Yonaguni symbol / Photo from Doremon360

The manmade vs. natural debate has come to rest ever since the marine geologists have confirmed the artificial origin of the ruins. Japanese intellectuals like Professor Masaaki Kimura of the Ryukyus University are no more enamored with the Mu Continent legends. Though contradicted by historians, some even claimed that the ruins of the sunken civilization could date back to 10,000 years, i.e. even before the commencement of the Egyptian civilization!

                                                              Photo from Doremon360

Besides the ruins, Yonaguni Islands have many spots of interest to draw adventure enthusiasts. You will invariably encounter congregations of hammerhead sharks during your wintry dives. The giant whale shark is an added attraction since you scarcely get to see it in any other parts of the world. Divers with an archeological interest love to visit the myriads of caverns and rock structures that throng the southern coastline of the islands. The Temple of Light and Daiyati are known for their incandescent white radiance.

                                                           Photo from Doremon360

                                                             Photo from amakusaleanne

The journey to Yonaguni Islands could prove to be a difficult venture. Flight and ferry services are regularly disrupted by bad weather conditions. Only 1-2 flights from Ishigaki per day land in the small Yonaguni Airport fields at the rate of Y10000/17000 one-way/return. You could also travel by ship leaving on Wednesdays and Saturdays from Ishigaki charging Y3460/6580 one-way/return. Once you reach Yonaguni, you have to be mentally prepared to face more than one hurdle while embarking upon this thrilling underwater venture.

 

The revision of History-Japan’s Mysterious Pyramids at Yonaguni / Photo from HIDDEN KNOWLEDGE

Lake Yueyatsyuan the Oasis

 Lake Yueyatsyuan (spring " new moon") is surrounded by mountains Minshashan. In ancient times it was called medical spa or pit in the sad. The water of this lake is crystal clear. From the desert to the lake just a few tens of meters. A source int he form of  a Crescen Yueyatsyuan in dray desert - it's just a miracle. 14 more images after the break...

 Yueyatsyuan Lake — Crescent-shaped lake in the oasis of Dunhuang,  5 km southwest of Dunhuang (Gansu Province, China). According to measurements performed in 1960, the average depth of the lake ranges was  4 to 5, maximum depth  7.5 m. Since the depth of the lake constantly decreased. By the early 190s, a mirror of the lake was reduced to only 5.50 m. Lake and the surrounding desert is very popular among tourists.

Katskhi Pillar – Going to Church on a Stairway to Heaven

Trust me on this, that headline has absolutely nothing rock’n'roll about it . Weirdly enough, it’s actually true and you can even go on to experience it yourself, provided you’re willing to travel. Travel a little or a lot rather depends on where you’re starting from as you’ll have to go to Georgia in order to live this out. Oh, and that’s not Georgia, the American state, but Georgia a small country that sits borderline between Europe and Asia. In this rather remote country, that’s seen it’s fair share of misfortune over the years for various political issues, economic and social pressures and so on, you’ll be able to find an unusual bastion of hope. 03 more images after the break...

Katskhi lies (trust me on this, there’s no better word to describe it) less than 10 km(6.3 miles) from a small mining city called Chiatura and it is a very special hurch. Not only are its attendees high, so is the entire building. The unique church of Katskhi pillar sits on top of a rock formation which towers 130 ft high. Not unusual enough for you? How about this, a Georgian monk has been living in it for nearly 20 years now. Still want a high dose of weirdness than the fact that the rusty creaking ladder used to go to this church is called the stairway to heaven? Well, the high church is estimated to have been built in between the 6th and 8th centuries and it is believed to actually have pagan roots, as a symbol of fertility to some forgotten god.

Regardless of the rather unusual clout around the high church with a stairway to heaven attached, it actually belongs to the orthodox side of Christianity. Which, unusually, is pretty much the most conservative and least “compromised” side of Christianity as a whole. Where things get rather predictable is in the building effort and increased popularity of this oddity we’re seeing nowadays. No longer is it a “fortress of solitude” that aims to bring you closer to God, but rather a bit of a commercial effort towards making it more accessible.