The city of the magical chimneys and the city of Rumi

CAPPADOCIA

The natural beauty of Cappadocia is admired by many who visit the area. It is enough to see photos of the landscape of fairy chimneys for one to feel like visiting the place. And once visited, Cappadocia’s naturally formed caves, streets and houses of worship extending many meters deep into the earth are enough to leave visitors speechless.

The magical atmosphere is only 100 kilometers from capital city Ankara. It is one of the most important open-air museums in Turkey. It has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Cappadocia, in the Nevşehir province, is a popular tourist destination, especially in autumn.

The famous fairy chimneys (peri bacaları) are located on the northeast of the Beypazarı district. The sharp rocks formed from volcanic sediments and exhibit a magical view.

The houses and most of the hotels in this region are carved from these formations that consist of a cap of hard rock resting on a cone-shaped pinnacle of softer rock, simply a layer of consolidated volcanic ash.

The earliest record of the name Cappadocia dates back to the late 6th century BC.

With its unique geological, historic and cultural features and artistry of the architecture, Cappadocia is a place of attraction for locals as well as tourists.

The area was an important and strategic region because of trade routes, which include the Silk Road. It was also a place where many cultures interacted. Different faiths and philosophies met in the same spot and influenced one another, also influencing history.

The Göreme Open Air Museum, the most visited site of Cappadocia, consists of more than 30 rock-carved churches and chapels containing some superb frescoes, dating from the ninth to the 11th century.

Visitors have the opportunity to see Seljuk and Ottoman art and architecture at the same time, the most outstanding ones being the Grand Mosque, Eğri Minaret and the Alayhan and Sultanhank caravanserais, which are the examples of seljuk period. Also the Sarıhan Caravanserai in the Aksaray province; the Ürgüp Taşkınpaşa Mosque in the Nevşehir province; the Sungur Bey and Alaadin mosques in Niğde; Döner Kumbet (Tomb); Sırcalı Kumbet; Ali Cafer Kumbet; Cami Kebir; the Hunat Hatun Kulliyesi (Complex); the Kurşunlu Cami (Mosque); Güpgüpoğlu konağı (Mansion); the Kara Mustafa Paşa Caravanserai; and Karatayhani Caravanserai in Kayseri province are worth visiting.

In Kayseri, another place that is interesting is the Museum of the History of Medicine. Şifaiye Medrese, where the museum is located now, was the first medical school and hospital in Anatolia, built in 1205.

Since 2007 Fairy Chimney houses have been transformed into boutique hotels with permission from the Preservation Council of Cultural and Natural Assets. There are also abandoned houses in Cappadocia and in those that have been restored as hotels, the cost of accommodation ranges from $100 to $3,000.

Cappadocia tourism differs from summer resort tourism. Natural beauty and cultural value are generally highlighted to promote tourism in the region. The places that have been turned from Fairy Chimney houses into accommodation facilities are significant in this sense. Mostly tourists from Japan, France and some European countries show interest in the boutique hotels in the region.

Cappadocia wines

The area is also famous for its wines, aside from the nature and history. For the ones who want to rest and take a break from sightseeing, it might be nice to find a wine house to do some tasting. The wine houses are famous in the Ürgüp district. It is an experience that one can never forget. The grapes are from the fertile vineyards of Cappadocia region. There are many producers who use ancient methods to produce wine and there are also some local vintners who have adopted modern techniques of winemaking. Cherry wine is one of the special tastes that one can try.

Hot air balloon tours the symbol of Cappadocia

There are also horseriding tours, safari trekking, and balloon and bicycle tours. Balloon tours are the symbol of Cappadocia. Those who want to see the beauties of the region from a bird's eye view can try flying in a huge balloon. The duration of the trip is between one hour and 30 minutes. You get to see the farthest points of the civilization by balloon.

Balloon tours operate between April and November in the mornings, depending on the weather conditions. The balloons have a capacity of 8, 10, 12 and 20 people.

Formation of Fairy Chimney 

A Fairy Chimney is conical rock formation, typically found in the Cappadocia region of Turkey. Fairy Chimneys got their name from the belief by early observers that these structures could not have occurred naturally, and must have been created by some supernatural force. They theorized that since fairies lived underground, they needed chimneys to prevent suffocation from fire fumes. Thus, they must have built chimneys connected to the world above, chimneys that would look just like the weird stone structures sticking up above the ground.

How to get there?

By plane

One can fly to Kayseri, one of the comparatively big cities in Turkey that is a one-hour drive from Göreme. Kayseri Airport welcomes flights from İzmir and Istanbul every day of the week.

By train

Kayseri is on a busy railway route. It is possible to find suitable trains to Kayseri from almost all of the train stations in Turkey. From Kayseri, you can take a bus to Göreme.

By bus

Most of the bus companies have services to Nevşehir and Göreme directly from other major cities.

KONYA

Situated in the south central region of the vast Anatolian steppe, the city of Konya is famous far beyond the borders of Turkey. The city's reputation grew from the nearby ruins of Çatal Höyük, the shrine of Rumi, the great Sufi poet who lived between 1207 and 1273.

The city of Konya has been known by many different names throughout the ages. Nearly 4,000 years ago the Hittites called it Kuwanna, to the Phrygians it was Kowania, to the Romans Iconium and to the Turks, Konya.

Fifty kilometers southeast of the city is the Neolithic settlement of Çatal Höyük, which dates back to 7,500 BC. It is one of the oldest discovered human communities.

Though only partially excavated and restored, the hilltop settlement covers 15 acres and reveals sophisticated town planning, religious art and ceremonial buildings. Remains of numerous other ancient settlements have been discovered on the Konya plain, giving evidence that humans have long favored this region.

During the Roman times, the city was visited by St. Paul, and because of its location on ancient trade routes it continued to thrive during the Byzantine era. Konya’s golden age was in the 12th and 13th centuries when it was the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum. The Seljuk Turks had ruled a great state encompassing Iran, Iraq and Anatolia. With the decline of the Seljuk state in the early 12th century, different parts of the empire became independent, including the Sultanate of Rum.

Between 1150 and 1300, the Sultans of Rum beautified Konya, erecting many lovely buildings and mosques. It was during this period that Jelaladdin Rumi came to live in Konya. In Turkey Rumi is referred to as Mevlana. 

Born in a town named Balkh in Khurasan in 1207, he was the son of a brilliant Islamic scholar. At the age of 12, fleeing the Mongol invasion, he and his family went first to Mecca and then settled in the town of Rum in 1228.

Rumi was initiated into Sufism by Burhan al-Din, a former pupil of his father's, under whose tutelage he progressed through the various teachings of the Sufi tradition. After his father's death in 1231, Rumi studied in Aleppo and Damascus and, returning to Konya in 1240, became a Sufi teacher himself.

Within just a few years a group of disciples had gathered around him, due to his great eloquence, theological knowledge and engaging personality.

In 1244 a strange event occurred that was to profoundly change Rumi's life and give rise to the extraordinary outpouring of poetry for which he is famous today. A wandering mystic known as Shams al-Din of Tabriz came to Konya and began to exert a powerful influence on Rumi.

For Rumi, the holy man represented the perfect and complete man, the true image of the "Divine Beloved," for which he had long been seeking. He also expressed the love of god through poetry, listening to devotional music and spiritual dancing.

Rumi is also well known for the Sufi brotherhood he established with its distinctive whirling and circling dance, known as Sema, which is still practiced by the Dervishes. The Sema ceremony, in seven parts, represents the mystical journey of an individual on their ascent through mind and love to union with the divine.

The dervishes form a circle, each turning in harmony with the rhythm of the accompanying music as the circle itself moves around, slowly picking up speed and intensity until all collapse in a sort of spiritual exaltation.

Rumi passed away in Dec. 1273. The former monastery of the whirling dervishes of Konya was converted into a museum in 1927. While the dervishes have been banned from using this facility, it functions both as a museum and a shrine. There is a main room called the Mevlana Türbesi, which has the tomb of Rumi covered with a large velvet cloth embroidered in gold. Next to Rumi's burial is that of his father, Baha al-Din Valed, whose sarcophagus stands upright, for legends tell that when Rumi was buried, his father's tomb "rose and bowed in reverence."

The Mevlana Türbesi dates from Seljuk times while the adjoining mosque and surrounding rooms were added by Ottoman sultans. Formerly used as quarters for the dervishes, these rooms are now furnished as they would have been during the time of Rumi, with mannequins dressed in period costumes. In one room there is a casket containing a hair from the beard of Muhammad.

Other than the Mevlana Museum and türbe, one should check out İplikçi Mosque; İnce Minare Mosque; Alaaddin Hill, which is an artificial hill that was built by the Seljuk Sultan Aleaddin Keykubat; the historic district Meram; and the remains of the Seljuk Palace.

Once visitors take a trip to all of these sites it is time to eat the traditional Etliekmek, which is like a long pizza with meat or cheese that usually stretches to over 1 meter.

The city also gains importance for the Selçuk University, founded in 1975. No matter what it still retains the air of an Anatolian provincial town.

How to get there?

By plane

Most airplane companies fly to Konya from Istanbul and İzmir. Konya Airport is located about 18 kilometers from the city.

By train

The train also operates from Istanbul, İzmir and Ankara. The Konya railway station is located in the suburb of Meram.

By bus

There are a number of agencies that travel to Konya daily. Istanbul, İzmir, Ankara and Cappadocia are the cities from which services to Konya run daily.