Impressions from the rooftop of Cappadocia: Uchisar 

If you ever go to Cappadocia, Uchisar is definitely one of those places you won't want to miss. My first time in this town was on a very beautiful clear-sky morning when we stopped for a half an hour break on our way to Pasabag, the Monks Valley. The first impression was enough to be convinced of the compelling beauty of this place. In front of me was the impressive Uchisar castle, a giant rock which you can climb to the top for unforgettable views of the fairy chimneys, the surrounding valleys and mount Erciyes, the tallest mountain in this region.

After walking around for a while and talking to Anatolian women who were selling the evil eye amulet (Turkish: nazar boncugu), I stood in silence to contemplate this wonder of nature.

Ancient volcanic eruptions caused a thick layer of ash to spread across the region, which solidified into a soft rock called tuff. Erosion shaped the tuff rock during thousands of years and formed the fairy tale landscape of Cappadocia, composed by interesting rock formations that resemble mushrooms, pillars, cones, chimneys and whatever it is your imagination wishes to see.

Human action also played an important role in modifying this area.  The first inhabitants of Cappadocia carved houses in the soft tuff rock and built underground towns that were connected by tunnels. In fact, the entire region is honeycombed with human-made caves that were also places of worship and storage.

 The soft tuff rock continues to be modified with the action of wind, water and snow. Many Empires have come and gone, such as the Hittites, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans, but the essence of Cappadocia has remained unaltered: its fantastic and unbelievable lunar landscape that you can appreciate at its best from the top of Uchisar castle.