One of the most famous places in Cappadocia, which has the greatest mysteries not only within the borders of the country, but also around the world, is the Fairy Chimneys. People wonder what the Fairy Chimneys are and how they were formed, and they are also visited by people.
Fairy Chimneys were formed by the erosion of the tuff structure by wind, rain and flood waters. There are rocks on the tops of these tower-shaped formations. Where are the Fairy Chimneys? Fairy Chimneys are located in Cappadocia. It is one of the most important formations that makes geography special. These structures, which transform the region into a visual feast, are visited by many people every year. Domestic and foreign tourists stop by to visit the region.
Many people wonder how the Fairy Chimneys in the Cappadocia region were formed. These formations, which offer a visual feast to the Cappadocia region, were formed as a result of natural events. Active volcanoes in geological times revealed these formations. Volcanoes in the region became active with the uplift of the Taurus Mountains, which started almost 60 million years ago in the 3rd geological period, and the compression of the Anatolian fault in the north. Mountains such as Erciyes Mountain, Güllüdağ and Hasandağı, which offer magnificent views with their snowy structures, were volcanoes spewing lava 10 million years ago. The Cappadocia region was an inland sea at that time. Such an estimation is made due to the presence of fossils of sea creatures in archaeological excavations.
Volcanoes started 10 million years ago with the Upper Miocene and erupted until 2 million years ago, until the Pliocene. By descending to the plateaus, it dried the inland sea, lakes and streams. A tuff layer of 100-150 meters thick was formed on the dried ground. Volcanic ash, clay, sandstone, clay and basalt are located on this layer. In some areas, the rocks are hard, sometimes they accumulate lava dense enough to be carved. The layer has changed over time due to factors such as rivers and wind. The floods descending from the slopes of the valleys, the Kızılırmak and the wind provided this change. Due to the scarcity of vegetation and the impermeability of the tuff beds, the floods became stronger and stubbornly tried to make way between the hard rocks. The hard rocks were cracked and broken by the force of the raging waters. It has also left valleys with deep waves in its lower parts. The art of nature on this geography is seen in this way. Fairy Chimneys, which are formed by natural factors and are unique in the world, are always the center of attention in this respect.
Those who wonder how the Fairy Chimneys were formed can look at its history. The borders of Cappadocia were drawn for the first time in history by the geographer Strabo, who lived in the Roman Antiquity. The borders end in the Taurus Mountains in the south, the Eastern Black Sea coastline in the north, Aksaray in the west, and Malatya in the east. Spreading over a very large area, this region is located at an extremely important point due to its historical textures. Today, the places that are limited as Cappadocia include the provinces of Aksaray, Niğde, Nevşehir, Kırşehir and Kayseri.
The history of Fairy Chimneys can also be called the history of Cappadocia. Cappadocia has seen many different civilizations since the formation of fairy chimneys. They are the natural buildings of the region. The interiors of the Fairy Chimneys began to be carved during the Paleolithic period, when the first human settlements took place. It was created in the 3rd century after the Hittites lived so that the first Christians could live their faith freely. Fairy Chimneys are designed as houses where people worship and live. In the 11th and 12th centuries, Cappadocia witnessed many different resistances and invasions until it fell to the Seljuks.
The Fairy Chimneys have been carved a little more each time and expanded a little more each time, due to their tuffy structure. Even frescoes were engraved inside those used as churches. Frescoes containing the stories of that period are located on these walls. Due to its unique structure and historical texture, it is visited by people nowadays. Fairy Chimneys can be preferred for various holidays such as honeymoon.
There are legends about the story of Fairy Chimneys. Long ago, a hardworking peasant living in Göreme wanted to go to his field early in the harvest time in the last days of his life. But since he does not have the old strength, he collapses at the foot of a Fairy Chimney. On the other hand, he lamented that the wind and the birds could destroy their labor. The fairies gathered the crops from the old man’s field and carried them to the hangars.
They finished the work by dawn. They disappeared after all the work was done. At first the old man thought he was dreaming, but it was actually a reward for his years of hard work. From that day on, the fairies rushed to her aid in all her affairs. Although the other people in the village wondered how an old man with his back and legs finished all his work, they never learned the truth. The old man died one day with his secret, but Fairy Chimneys have always kept this secret with all their silence.
People who want to visit Fairy Chimneys are looking for directions to Fairy Chimneys. After arriving in Nevşehir, the Cappadocia region is reached by buses departing from the city center. For those who come by personal vehicles, there are easy directions to reach Cappadocia from Istanbul. First, you should come to Ankara, and from there you should proceed through Kırıkkale, Kırşehir and Nevşehir directions. In this way, it is possible to reach the region via a very short road. There are many tours organized with a guide. With the Fairy Chimneys tour, you can both visit and get detailed information about its history.
There are many things to do in Fairy Chimneys. For this reason, people can perform every activity with the tours available in the region. You can visit the Fairy Chimneys and perform all the activities that can be done regularly and without wasting time, with the tours made in the company of the guides. You can join daily tours and make detailed trips with professional guides. It is also possible to participate in tours. The valleys in Cappadocia can be visited with an ATV tour.
One of the most famous activities of Cappadocia is the balloon tour. Domestic and foreign tourists benefit from the balloon tours here. Balloon rides are one of the best activities to do around the world. Fairy Chimneys balloon tour prices vary. Balloon tour is a very expensive tour in every corner of the world. The fact that a large team works behind it is the main reason for the high prices of these tours.
Many expenses such as balloon equipment and maintenance expenses do not help the situation. The balloon tour fee includes the cost of many different services. Services such as picking up people from the hotel by private vehicles, returning them to the hotel at the end of the tour, breakfast, and a 1-hour balloon tour are included in a single fee. At the same time, special flight certificate and insurance fees are included in the single fee.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cappadocia
Although Cappadocia comes to mind when it comes to fairy chimneys, it is actually in Nevşehir, which is located in Cappadocia. It is mainly located in Nevşehir’s Göreme and Ürgüp towns.
If you are planning a holiday in Cappadocia, where you will see fairy chimneys, you can consider staying in Göreme or Ürgüp. These towns are very close to both Nevşehir and Nevşehir districts and towns. In this way, you have the opportunity to visit the surrounding area with your private vehicle or public transport.
There are fairy chimneys in Goreme. However, it is not only in Göreme. Ürgüp is also very rich in terms of fairy chimneys.
In Göreme; It would be unfair to limit it only to fairy chimneys. The region is also very rich in terms of history. The churches in the Göreme Open Air Museum have successfully transferred the traces of the ancient civilizations living in the region until today. You can also take pictures on the hills and visit the valleys.
The admiring stance of fairy chimneys and their emergence without human touch have led to the emergence of different legends. One of these legends has caused these structures to be called fairy chimneys.
In ancient times, people lived in Cappadocia. While these people were living their happy lives, malicious giants came to the region. These giants lived in the mountains and they frightened people by raining fire on them. While people were living with this fear, the way of the fairy sultan fell in a region. He was upset with the plight of people and wanted to help them.
The fairy king has mobilized all the fairies. They responded to the fire arrows fired by the giants with ice and snow. In this way, the fire in the region was extinguished and the state retreated to the mountains. Thereupon, a friendship that has lasted for thousands of years began between humans and fairies. The structures formed in honor of this friendship are called fairy chimneys.
Tourists visiting fairy chimneys may wonder whether these structures are historical artifacts. However, in order for a building to be a historical monument, it must be built by people in ancient times. It is not possible to call the naturally formed structures historical monuments. Therefore, we can define fairy chimneys as natural beauty.
Yes, fairy chimneys were formed completely naturally. Millions of years ago, the Cappadocia region was covered with water. However, volcanoes in the region are active. Due to these mountains, which have remained active for many years, the waters in the region have dried up. The structures formed with the extinction of the volcanoes are; shaped by erosion and streams. Thus, fairy chimneys, which are rarely seen in the world, are formed in Cappadocia.
