Cappadocia

Cappadocia lies in Central Anatolia, between Nevşehir, Kayseri and Niğde. Layers of ash erupted by the Erciyes and Hasan volcanoes millions of years ago were worn by wind and rain into conical rocks — the "fairy chimneys".

People hollowed out the soft rock to make homes, monasteries and churches with frescoed walls. Multi-level underground cities such as Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı could shelter thousands.

Today Cappadocia is one of Türkiye's best-known destinations: at dawn hundreds of hot-air balloons rise over Göreme. "Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia" were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.