Junction of civilisations

Due to its central location, Cappadocia has always been a kind of junction where, through the ages, various cultures, philosophies and religions have clashed and influenced one another. There were times when people lived peacefully alongside each other, as well as times when Cappadocia was the stage for violent invasions, plundering and persecution. Natural resources, including gold and silver, were desirable treasures that everyone wanted to possess. The local inhabitants sheltered from such attacks by retreating to their rock houses and underground cities.

Cappadocia has been inhabited since Prehistoric times – much evidence of this has been found, particularly in Niğde and Aksaray. In the Early Bronze Age, the region fell under the control of the Assyrian civilisation as a result of trade. It was the Assyrians who introduced writing in Cappadocia. Researchers have discovered inscribed tablets from the time when taxes, interest, marriage and trade contracts were known to exist. Subsequently Cappadocia was occupied by the Hittites. They created the Hittite Empire which ruled for six centuries until 1200 BC when it was conquered by the Phrygians, who came from the Balkans.

After a fierce battle against the Phrygians, Cappadocia fell into the hands of the Persians in 525 BC. Inhabitants of the Persian Empire had considerable autonomy and were allowed to follow their own religion. The name Cappadocia may have originated from the Persian word Katpatuka, meaning ‘Land of thoroughbred horses’. In short, life under Persian rule was peaceful and a new period of prosperity arose. Peace seemed to have been broken when Alexander the Great invaded and conquered Cappadocia, but the inhabitants resisted this and pronounced the Persian Ariarthes king. Various wars took place on Cappadocian territory following the death of Alexander the Great and through to 17 BC, and the local population retreated once more to their caves and tunnels.

In 17 BC Cappadocia was taken into the Roman Empire because it was an area of strategic military significance. To escape being persecuted by Rome, many Christians fled into the wilderness of Cappadocia. There they founded their own churches, chapels and monasteries, thousands of which have been found.

The churches were all sculpted by hand from the soft pumice. They became refuges for monks who wanted to live in peace in communities that could sustain themselves due to the fertile soil. It is probably the single most fascinating aspect of Cappadocia: all those churches hidden in the rocks. It’s almost surreal.

Behind every dark entrance way there are beautiful wall and ceiling paintings depicting, for example, the birth of Jesus, the Last Supper, the betrayal by Judas and the Crucifixion. The paintings on the cold rock walls were made by monks with the patience of saints. As they lay in hiding, they wanted to show their belief in this way to the generations that would visit the church after them. Not forgetting, of course, that their diligent work would be appreciated centuries later by the thousands of tourists that come to Cappadocia every year!

The majority of churches originate from the time of the Byzantines who followed the Romans in the 4th century. During that time Cappadocia grew into a centre of Christian activity. One of the places where you get the best impression of this is the Open Air Museum in Göreme. Here you’ll find some of the best preserved churches in Cappadocia, the majority of which date from the relatively peaceful period between the 9th and 13th centuries. The ‘Black (Karanlık) Church’ is one of the museum’s most important attractions. The church was so named because there is only one window letting light in. You have to pay extra to visit this church, thus limiting the number of visitors. According to the guard, even human breath and perfume can damage the fragile artwork.

The monks also established themselves in the Soğanlı and Ihlara valleys. We visit the Ihlara valley, a green oasis that has yet another appearance compared to what we have seen so far. A stairway with more than 400 steps leads down to the bottom where there is a clear stream and where you can wander between the trees. Well hidden behind the trees and situated high up, we can see all the hidden churches again. The walls and ceilings here are also painted and decorated and you are confronted again with the remarkable history that this region has possessed right up to the present day.

Naturally there were times when the rock formations and hidden churches didn't provide sufficient protection against the various invading armies. But the monks and farmers had yet another means of escape, since the landscape contained not only above-ground, but also below-ground pumice. Entire cities were dug out - hundreds of people could hide there at the same time, especially against the increasing number of Arabian raids after the 7th century. Apparently there are two hundred such underground cities throughout Cappadocia. The government has had some of them restored and opened up to the public. We’re not certain exactly when the first cities came into being, but studies have shown that it was probably around the end of the 4th century.

The underground city of Kaymaklı is on our itinerary. It was constructed beneath the hill known as the Citadel of Kaymaklı and has been open to the public since 1964. It has eight levels, four of which are accessible. As well as the living and sleeping areas there are burial chambers, storage rooms, chapels and even stables. Whilst they are well lit, as we descend further through progressively narrower passageways, we do start to worry about the possibility of an unexpected power cut! So we decide to stay close to the man with the illuminated video camera. Quite how they must have managed in the past is not terribly obvious. It is difficult to imagine that entire villages sometimes stayed here for months on end, until it was safe to return to the surface again. Entrances would have been blocked with heavy, round rocks to keep unwanted visitors from entering. It must have been very claustrophobic, although this was a better option under the life-threatening circumstances. In any case we are happy when we go back up.

However, it does mark the end of our Cappadocian excursion on this occasion. We’re amazed at the proliferation of sights, as well as how many there are that are not immediately obvious. Many of the treasures lie hidden and there is something to be discovered in every village. Cappadocia is undoubtedly one of the world’s most spectacular sights. Just a seven hour drive from Alanya!

By |Cindy van Vliet