What makes
Cappadocia so exceedingly strange are the twisted, billowing
forms found in the rocks, forming a ream landscape.Over
millions of years, erosion covered the land with thick layers
of volcanic tuff forming rock pinnacles, which were then hewn
out by man into unique, evocative monuments.
The name Cappadocia probably derives from the Persian
“Katpatukya”, meaning “ the land of the beautiful horses”. It
is a land of vast plains, rolling hills, rugged mountains and
extinct volcanoes. It is a veritable treasury of historical
relics from the Chalcolithic era to the Seljuk Turks period.
The visitor may seldom travel more then a few miles without
encountering some derelict reminders of Cappadocia‘s colorful
past.
The history
of Cappadocia begins some 60 millions of years ago, when the
corrugating motion of the earth’s crust led to the raising of
the Tauern chain. These telluric motions were accompanied by
volcanic eruptions right throughout the area; the three tall
peaks that dominate the region – The Volcano Erciyes (3916
meters), The Volcano Hasan (3268 meters) and Gollu dag – were
active volcanoes; these volcanoes are still active, even
though they have not erupted since the dawn of history as
prehistoric and Roman records reefers to legendary eruptions.
However the volcanoes of Cappadocia must have been active 8000
years ago as the frescoes of a city plan from a house in
Catalhöyük, a Neolithic settlement dated to 6500 B.C. near
Konya in central Turkey.
In addition to the European Alps, the Taurus mountains of
southern Anotolia were formed during the Tertiary period of
geological development. During the “Alpine period" of
mountain-building, deep fissures and large depressed areas
were created The fracturing process allowed the subsurface
magma to find to find its way to the surface where it formed
the Erciyes, Melendiz, Golludag, and Hasan Dagi eruption
cones. After numerous eruptions these cones increased in size
and formed a chain of volcanoes running parallel to the Taurus
mountains. In addition, volcanic material slowly ran towards
the depressed areas and drowned previously formed hills and
valleys. This geological activity changed the general
landscape of the region, giving it the appearance of a
plateau.
Wind, climate, mechanical weathering ( forces breaking up
rocks ) rain, and rivers are the types of erosion that gave
Cappadocia its unusual, characteristic formations. The
Cappdocian climate, with sharp changes of temperature, heavy
rains, and melting snow in the spring, plays an important role
in the formation of the Cappadocian landscape. In addition,
mechanical weathering is responsible for fragmentation because
rocks expand when heated and break up as they cool. Water
freezing in the cracks can also cause fragmentation. However,
the most important sources of erosion are rain and rivers.
Heavy rainfall transformed the smooth surface of the plateau
into a complex pattern of gullies that followed rivers.
Sometimes streams and rivers made very sharp vertical cuts
into the volcanic soil and created isolated pinnacles at the
intersection of two or more gullies. Rain and rivers also
formed valleys such as Zelve and Goreme.
Christianity
arrived early in Cappadocia, probably during the first
century, when it was practised secretly in grottos and in
cellars in order to avoid persecution of Christians ceased
under the rule of Emperor Constantine the Great (313-337
A.D.). After the splitting of the Roman Empire into eastern
and western parts, Cappadocia was ruled by the Christian
emperors of East Rome, which later assumed the name Byzantium.
Under Byzantium rule, Cappadocia was a frontier region subject
to raids. The history of Christianity in the region was
influenced by the atmosphere of insecurity. Frequent raids by
attacking armies forced Christians to seek refuge in the
underground cities and practice their religion in camouflaged
rock churches.
The oldest
churches which can be seen today in the region date back to
the 6th century. The most intense period of church building
took place during the 9th to 12th centuries. Construction of
rock churches continued under Seljuk rule ,which started at
the end of the 11th century . The Seljuk Turks tolerated the
Christian faith. The Christians had a complete freedom of
faith. Early churches have very simple plans with single aisle
. Later other types of plan were developed. The churches are
decorated with attractive frescos. Frescos were usually
applied to the plain rock surface of church walls. Later the
frescos were done on a plaster ground. Sometimes , the walls
of the whole church were covered with plaster, as in the
Buckle Church in Göreme. The artists in most cases were local
painters.
Christian
Monasteries were established in Cappadocia from the 4th
century onwards. For purpose of defense and other reasons,
monastic communities existed in clusters. In order to be
officially deemed as a monastery a community of monks was
required to have at least 8 to 10 members with evident means
of support. The minimum age for entering a monastery was fixed
at 10 by the Council in Constantinople in 691. Tonsure came at
the age of sixteen or seventeen .Communal existence in
monasteries may have developed as a reaction to the asceticism
of monks seeking salvation through solitude. Monks could not
live alone unless they first spent three years in a community
of monks. Most monastic complexes consisted of a church, a
refectory and storage rooms . The existence of storage rooms
was related to the secular function of the monasteries as
agricultural production units.
“Fairy
chimneys” were formed when lava covering the tuff
(consolitadeted volcanic ash) gave way along preexisting
cracks of sloping areas and become isolated pinnacles. “Fairy
chimneys,” which can attain a height of up to forty meters,
have conical shapes and consist of caps of harder rock resting
on pillars of softer rock. A “Fairy chimney” exists until the
neck of the cone erodes and its protective cap falls off. The
subsequent disintegration of the remaining pinnacle continues
until it is completely leveled down.
