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CAPPADOCIA THE REGION OF TOURISM<br />
Rocking Bridge - Avanos<br />
Basil Chapel, Apple Church, Saint Barbara<br />
Church, Snake Church and the Dark Church<br />
are the best known places of the museum.<br />
These structures where located in the middle<br />
of Anatolia not only whisper centuries<br />
old information to visitors from all over the<br />
world, but also reflect that it isn't possible<br />
to see many religious elements together<br />
like this one elsewhere.<br />
Another feature of Cappadocia that is full<br />
of legends is its underground cities. It has<br />
approximately 200 underground cities<br />
and the largest one is Derinkuyu with eight<br />
floors. When I reached Derinkuyu and went<br />
down to the underground city, I witnessed<br />
the traces of the reign of the fear empire in<br />
region. These underground cities, carved by<br />
soft tuff rocks, are the result of a precaution<br />
taken by the people against the invasion.<br />
Cappadocia leads the way to find the truth<br />
about legend, which lived in Erciyes' snow<br />
covered peak and says: "Look for the real<br />
truth in yourself". People, who witness the<br />
history in fairy chimneys or "The Land of<br />
Beautiful Horses" as Persians called, can<br />
better interpret the truth of life.<br />
FAIRIES OF CAPPADOCIA<br />
There are some legends told about fairies<br />
in Cappadocia. According to one of<br />
these, when the giants living in region<br />
are mad, they sent the waves of fire upon<br />
the people from the tops of the mountains.<br />
One day, the fairy sultan who was<br />
passing by Cappadocia managed to put<br />
out the fire by working with people for<br />
days. When the giants went underground,<br />
a warm friendship was formed between<br />
people and the fairies.<br />
While humans lived in caves where they<br />
rocked, the fairies started to live in the<br />
small rooms on the pointed cliffs. The love<br />
between the Cappadocian King's son Revan<br />
and daughter of the fairy sultan Gülperi<br />
also began at this time. However, the<br />
people who opposed the love of two lovers<br />
have decided to fight with the fairies. The<br />
fairy sultan preferred to leave Cappadocia<br />
rather than the destroying people, but he<br />
thought that people could not cope with<br />
the giants. Therefore, he ordered them<br />
to be pigeons and stay in the same place<br />
again. Daughter of the fairy sultan also<br />
turned into a white pigeon and she settled<br />
to the window of the Cappadocian King's<br />
Derinkuyu Underground City<br />
son every day. Unaware of what happened,<br />
Revan fulfilled his hankering by taking pigeon<br />
into the palm of his hands and caring<br />
it with love.<br />
HOW WAS FAIRY CHIMNEYS FORMED?<br />
Erciyes, Hasandağı and Melendiz Mountains<br />
lavas were erupted sixty million years<br />
ago. Ashes accumulating on the plateau<br />
formed a soft tuff layer. Above the tuff<br />
layer was covered with a thin layer of lava,<br />
consisting of hard basement. The basalt<br />
cracked and broke apart. The rain corroded<br />
the tuff. The wind was also involved in this<br />
process. Thus, the long work of erosion<br />
began. As millennia passed, the softer tuff<br />
wore down, giving way to pillars that stand<br />
as tall as 130 feet. The harder basalt erodes<br />
more slowly, forming a protective, mushroom-shaped<br />
cap over each one.<br />
Ekim / Kasım / Aralık | 2017<br />
October / November / December<br />
85
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