After breakfast in the hotel, we headed out to the underground city Kaymakli.
It is believed that the underground cities of Cappadocia were initially built during the eighth and seventh centuries BCE by the Phrygians, who carved their living spaces into the region’s soft volcanic rock. There are around 200 underground cities in total in Cappadocia, with the most visited including Derinkuyu and Kaymakli. Our group visited the Kaymakli. As we were forewarned that the tunnels could get quite small with low headrooms, a couple of the tall guys in our group did not go in.
Originally named Enegup in ancient times, Kaymakli Underground City was also used as a shelter for local inhabitants for several centuries throughout the Arab-Byzantine wars. During this time, it was significantly expanded to the point where it, eventually, became the widest underground city in Türkiye. It’s estimated that, at its peak, the population of Kaymakli grew to around 3,500 people.
After being opened to the public in 1964, it was awarded Unesco World Heritage status in 1985. It offers a fascinating window into the past, descending eight levels deep – although only the first four can be accessed by visitors, which lie at around 20m (66ft) below ground. As a general rule, the wealthiest families lived closer to the surface. We passed by stables, storage rooms (some of which are still used today), former homes, a church and communal kitchens, where meals were once cooked for the city’s population.
Meandering through, we also notice plenty of large, round boulders, which used to be rolled in front of doorways as barricades to protect the local inhabitants from potential attacks.
The tunnels were like a maze, one could get lost if not for the red arrows printed on the side, which guided us down, and the blue arrows, which guided us up, avoiding getting disorientated.
It was an eye-opening experience.
Hiko, our local guide gave an introduction to the history of this underground city.
Large round boulders, which used to be rolled in front of doorways as barricades to protect the local inhabitants from potential attacks
After lunch, we visited a Turkish rug factory nearby, Yuksel Carpet. It was very interesting watching the lady weaving according to a (to me) complicated pattern on paper in front of her, while the man explained what she's doing and the different types and grades of Turkish handmade rugs. The high quality ones could take more than a year to finish.
There is a long history of Turkish rugs. It originated in the north around the 3rd century BC., in Siberia where the migratory Turks needed to find a way to keep their tents warm in the harsh winters. They found that with more knots the rugs were warmer. The oldest one that was known in existence had 3600 knots per dm², unmatched to these days. The nomadic art slowly passed down to the south. They were used in houses and mosques. 11th century witnessed the rise of the Seljuk Empire, which introduced the Turkish rugs to the Anatolian peninsula, where most of these woolen artworks are crafted today.A few centuries later, during the reign of the Ottoman sultans in the region, the Turkish rugs were introduced to the Westerners, mostly noblemen from wealthier European countries who could actually afford them.
By the 15th century, certain European nobles now have their rooms decorated with the finest Turkish rugs. Today, as we know, the Turkish rugs have a leading place in the global markets. The technique that is used to craft a vintage hand-knotted Turkish rug is what sets it apart from all other options, and it's also because of this that no two Turkish rugs share the same characteristics.
Before the actual weaving process, the wool is treated and spun properly to make it workable with the loom. Then, the wool is dyed in the required colors by submerging them into cauldrons with dye. It is then hung out in the sun to dry before it could be used for weaving. The loom, is essentially a structure consisting of two horizontal beams parallel to each other. It is at these beams that the vertical strands of the rug foundation called warp are attached. Part of the loom is varagele, a movable wooden structure that is used to spread the threads out and keep them in line. Thanks to varagele, the threads do not tangle with the artisan's fingers allowing them to weave knots easily. A kirkit, which basically looks like a wooden comb, is used to push the knots down to meet up with the rest of the already woven rug. This process makes the knots stronger and makes up space for the new knots to be made.
The weaving process is often followed by thorough washing and sun drying. Sometimes, it is stretched to flatten out the pile and trimmed to match all thread lengths.
This whole process that can take anywhere from months to years.
The material used in a Turkish rug is one of the most important criteria in determining its value. Natural materials are more durable and can guarantee decades to centuries of life for a rug. Authentic Turkish rugs can be categorized through the material used for their knots and can be either wool rug or silk.
One of the most striking and unique features of Turkish rugs is the motifs that are found on them. The exact number of motifs and their combinations are unknown, but they all have meanings...for examples,
Elibelinde (Hand on Waist)
Bereket (Plenty)
Göz (Eye)
In the end, a few members of our group bought.
Then, we visited the spectacular Fairy Chimneys (Peri Bacaları in Turkish).
High plateaus, stones that resemble the moon, and granite pillars known as "fairy chimneys" made up this stunning environment.
Fairy Chimneys are unique formations that were produced by volcanic explosions. Tuff rock, which was created by the lava flows, was carved by wind and rain into serpentine valleys with curved cliff sides and sharp fairy chimneys. They are unique, and beautiful and have important roles in the history of the people living there, especially early Christians. Fairy chimneys in Türkiye are around 14 million years old but the formation continues with wind and rain. So it is an ongoing process. Fascinating!!
Camels are not native in Türkiye, they were brought there from Egypt for the tourists.
Again, since we were given free time, I wandered off further down to the valley and saw up-close the "fairy chimneys" and caves where there were dwellers.
We then returned to the cave hotel for a free afternoon before dinner.
I took this opportunity exploring the trails I read about, on the internet, before the trip. Helena, one of our group members joined me.
The trail starts right outside our hotel across a stone bridge. We saw, up close, sculptures (rock formations) created by the greatest artist - Mother Nature. Along the way, there was a cave home but the owner was not there.
If you look closely, you can see pipes running between the rocks, that's how the cave dweller collects water.
Helena and my shadows over this magnificent scenery.
We found a skull, not sure what kind of animal.
At the top of the trail there was a dirt road leading somewhere.
Tonight, we went out for a Turkish dinner. Our hotel looked even more beautiful with all the lights lit up against the backdrop of the clear night sky. I'm glad our tour stayed here instead of downtown.
The Turkish dinner was held in a big restaurant, Yasar Baba, with folklore shows. Though mainly catered for tourists, the food was delicious and the shows were very entertaining - with guests' participation...during the show, we were all led outside to a bon fire dance and singing with the performers.
Some scenes from the performance:
The Bon Fire Dance
The Prayer Dance
Godfrey's shot of the Prayer's Dance.
We didn't stay for the last show, which was supposed to be the highlight of the evening - belly dance, because majority of us had signed up for the hot air balloon ride the next morning and we had to get up at 4:30a.m., though it only meant half an hour earlier than usual for me, it's "dreadful" to the late risers!
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