Cappadocia & troglodyte lifestyle !
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Cappadocia & troglodyte lifestyle ! |
A warm winter sunset over Cappadocia, central Turkey
| Cappadocia & troglodyte lifestyle |
| After ancient Hittite
territory and the more recent Ottoman houses in Western Anatolia, we again
stepped backed in time to visit Cappadocia and its amazing moon-like
landscapes. The history of this area began with the eruption of 3
volcanoes which spread a thick layer of volcanic ash which hardened into a
soft porous stone. Over the centuries, erosion has worn away large parts
of this porous material in strange moonscape like chimneys.
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| One special aspect of this
material is that it will harden in contact with oxygen. Soft to dig in but
hard after it has been excavated, this is the perfect combination for
troglodytes or cave inhabitants. A cave could be carved out for a new
family and new "rooms" would follow as the family expanded.
Multi-level cities have been carved out as the local inhabitants went
underground to avoid the invaders of the times. Large Christian
communities thrived in this area and their rock-hewn churches have become
a unique art form.
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| Fortunately a few caves have
kept their amazing frescoes over the last two millennia thanks to lack of
sunlight. The paintings above have become visible as large portions of
rock have fallen down and have revealed hidden rooms. These are the only
ones that can be photographed and they are a pale testimony to the other
paintings.
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The village of Uchisar prepares for the night, Cappadocia
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| In Kaymakli we visited one of
these fascinating underground city. Some portions of the city have been
dated to Hittite times or 4000 B.C. ! The Greek historian Xenophon
mentions underground dwellings in Cappadocia his Anabasis which Christian
read at school. In times of peace, people lived as farmers above ground.
When invaders threatened, they went under. What's amazing is that they
could live underground for up to 6 months. Life in this huge underground
Swiss cheese must not always have been pleasant. But all was beautifully
organised. We were told that the basic architecture of the city was copied
on a tree : a central trunk from which branches leap away. We saw how
stone wheels would block the tunnels leading down, how 50 to 60 meter high
chimneys would supply people with fresh air. It seemed
as though each room had three tunnels leading to it. Floors never seemed
to be full floors but mezzanines or even smaller. At a constant
temperature, cooler than outside in summer but warmer in winter, these
cities were used as long-term storage places.
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K&C visiting the mind boggling underground city of Kaymakli (left) and the church of Ayios Stefanos (right)
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The best-preserved Byzantine coloured frescoes in Cappadocia (!), Eski Gümüsler Monastery
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We are doing well !
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| Traditional wooden houses | Back to Trip page | Konya & the whirling Dervishes |
