Leaving Konya, we headed on our journey towards Cappadocia. Our first stop was the Caravanserai at Aksaray. Caravanserai were built along the Silk Road through Turkey, spaced at intervals of about 30 miles apart. The Silk Road continued through the Middle East, eventually ending in China. The modern day equivalent of a caravanserai would be an Inn or Motel. This caravanserai was built in 1229, about the era of the Seljuk empire in Turkey. The main entrance portal to the caravanserai is shown below.
Caravanserai Entrance Portal, Aksaray
The arch above the portal has some exquisite detail. The image below was taken from below the arch, looking straight up.
Portal Stonework Detail
On the walls, at either side of the entrance are fine detailed patterns carved into the stonework. An example of this detail is captured below.
Exterior Stonework Detail, Caravanserai
Inside the caravanserai walls, is a large courtyard, with a small tower.
Courtyard, Caravanserai
At the end of the caravanserai (the western side), are these huge halls. These were used to store goods of the traveling caravans and served as quarters for their pack animals (camels and horses). Here is an image with Angela looking up, in awe, at the high ceilings of these halls.
Storage Halls, Caravanserai
The caravanserai has some real architectural gems. I found these red flowers adjacent to one of the interior doorways. Once again, we see the detailed stonework carved into the arch above the doorway.
Doorway And Flowers, Caravanserai
Here is another more detailed image of the stonework.
Arch Stonework Detail
After visiting, we stopped at a nearby store before boarding the bus for our next destination — the Underground City of Derinkuyu in Cappadocia.
Excavation of this city started about 800 BCE, as a shelter and safe haven for thousands of people from marauding armies. The tunnels of the city are carved in a soft volcanic rock. A elaborate system of tunnels extending at least seven (7) levels underground were made. Rooms were carved off the tunnels to serve as living quarters, storage areas, livestock, etc. The city also has several ventilation shafts to ensure adequate flow of air.
Inside Underground City, Derinkuyu
Many of the tunnels are quite narrow, allowing only a single person to travel through, as shown below.
Narrow Tunnels, Derinkuyu
The tunnels also have doors to protect against unwanted incursion into the city. These are rolling rocks that can only be closed by rolling across the tunnel from the inside. These doors can only be operated from the “inside” of the tunnel. Here is an example of one of these doors.
Rolling Door, Derinkuyu
We headed to the city of Göreme, located among the Fairy Chimneys that Cappadocia is well-known for. We stopped at one location with a view down towards the chimneys.
Fairy Chimneys Near Goreme, Cappadocia
The Fairy Chimneys are soft volcanic rock formations. This is a similar rock formation to that of the underground city. In years gone by, several houses have been carved out of the rock, as can be seen in this image.
Path Through Fairy Chimneys, Cappadocia
In this image, I made capture one of the local women sitting near a grapevine — I believe she lives close by — gazing up at another group of tourists to the area.
Woman Near Grapevine Among Chimney Formations
More later.