Want to see an ancient underground city? 🇹🇷

Want to see an ancient underground city? 🇹🇷

Hey guys. What is going… …on location out here in Cappadocia, Türkiye. And today, we are checking out some ancient underground cities and caves. Good morning, from Göreme in the region of Cappadocia. I got up early today and I’m not the only one. There’re other people.

We are all waiting for the hot air balloons, which I think usually come out at sunrise. I have seen no sign of them, which is a little bit concerning after coming all the way out here. The surroundings here are very beautiful. These are the fairy chimneys, interesting rock structures that you see

All around. At least all around Göreme. And a lot of the, I thought it was just my hotel, but a lot of these places are built right into these fairy chimneys. And you get these cave hotels. I thought I was special, staying at a special place. Seems like every hotel

Is a cave hotel. I’ll show you the hotel anyway. It’s pretty cool. It’s got a nice terrace. So I’ll go ahead and show you my room. It’s got a heater, so it’s not actually that cold. It looks cold. It’s got a nice view. Turns out that the balloons

Were canceled this morning because it was too foggy. But there’re still things that we can explore out here. It’s pretty clear now. I’m going to walk out of town, go on a little hike, and then check out an underground city. I’m not 100% sure where I’m going.

This guy has been following me around for a while now. I’m kind of just heading out that way. Keep going. Well, it seems like he’s going to try to get food from some other hikers. I don’t have any food for him. But, we continue. It is a bit chilly out.

And I don’t have a winter coat or anything, so I’m actually wearing this poncho that I got in Ecuador. I was hiking up a volcano, and it was getting pretty high into the altitude. Like 4500 meters. It was pretty cold. I ended up buying this poncho. It is not my first poncho.

I also have a poncho from Bolivia. But I really like ponchos. It’s like wearing a blanket that just goes around with you wherever you go. I’m a big fan, big fan of ponchos. Oh, look at this. It’s quite an enormous cave castle. So, the story behind all these, they’re called fairy chimneys,

Are that back in the Roman period a lot of persecuted Christians fled to this area in Cappadocia. And they found that this material was soft enough that they could carve it out. So they made underground cities, which were going to check out. They also made churches, stables, houses. This is enormous. Wow!

Somebody’s room? There are a couple of entrances on the ground here. But I don’t know how you get up to there. Those windows. And these spots. I don’t know where to go. This might be a church. Looks like this is a church. Well, I’m not sure. Maybe some stairs eroded away or

Got sealed off. Or they used a ladder or pulley system to get up there. But there’s a lot of little entrances in all these fairy chimneys. I just saw this. Rose red. Is it a sign from the early Christians? I’m kind of intrigued. Pretty cool shapes, though. The wind and water erosion.

ATVs going. Oh! Is this how they get up there? Not quite, but it is a nice view. Now what? I just slide down. Do I? Well, I definitely didn’t bring the right shoes for this kind of activity. It’s pretty steep. Alright. We got out of that. You see all these

Birds posted up on the fairy chimneys. Very convenient. I don’t think any cats can get up there. Well, you never know. Cats are pretty crafty. This kind of reminds me of the badlands of North Dakota. I went there when I was a kid with my grandparents and my brothers. although obviously they weren’t

Carving out homes and having ancient civilizations living inside of the formations. This is the advanced group. I’d be in the group where there’s a guy walking and pulling the horse along and I’d be hugging the horse’s neck. That’s pretty cool. Look’s pretty fun, actually. I just took a bus from

Göreme to Nevşehir and then transferred in Nevşehir to Kaymaklı, which is a home to one of the underground cities. We’re going to check out this underground city. I’ve looked around online and seen different figures for how many underground cities there are in Cappadocia. The highest number I’ve seen is over 200.

The lowest figure I’ve seen is 36. But two are open to the public. One of them is right here. Kaymaklı, the underground city. Let’s go check it out. I’m excited. We made it inside. This is the entrance. So, red arrows to go in, and blue areas to go out.

From what I’ve heard, this particular underground city, Kaymaklı, goes down eight stories. I guess maybe you call them stories? But only four are open to the public. I also heard that it’s kind of like the wealthier families. have places up towards the surface, and then the poorer you are,

You’re further and further down. If you are claustrophobic or a professional basketball player, you might have a problem. It’s kind of hard to imagine, but they estimate that 3500 people lived in here. Again, it was here, well, famous for the early Christians in the Byzantine era. When the Arabs came,

They had to hide underground, literally. But I think this goes back to the eighth century B.C. So, I read about these. It’s a stone door. And what this was for is if the underground city got breached, they would have a bunch of people in the run up into one of these alleys here,

And they would roll this to cover the entrance. They’d have six or seven guys roll this to cover it up and protect those people. And kind of I mean, they would just be stuck inside, but they’d be alive. So, we’re heading down deeper into the city here.

In total, it goes down 80 meters. The public is able to go down 20 meters right now. There are ventilation shafts to the surface on all levels, you know, so people can breathe. If there’re 3500 people living down here, I’m guessing that each one of these is somebody’s house.

I mean, that’s just somebody’s spot. Not a lot of personal room. I can’t imagine being down here for more than an hour or two. This is… This is worse than that nuclear bunker in Albania. Even though I didn’t post that video yet. If there was a nuclear attack

And I had to live down here with this many people, I’d leave. I’d go out. Well, I think this is one place that I will see that Shaquille O’Neal will ever get to see. Unless he’s pulled in on a sled or something. Holy cow. Okay, here is the winery.

I’m guessing it must have been a pretty popular spot to hang out seeing as nobody can see the light of day. Probably all candle lit. And it looks like now you’re heading back out. So, we must be at the lowest point that

You know, we’re allowed to go, which is 20 meters under the surface. It’s a bummer. There was a guy kind of freaking out not far back. He was claustrophobic and was asking me how to get out. I said the blue arrows. He’s like, no, no, right now.

So, he went back up the red arrows. But if he had gone through one more tunnel, he would’ve had a nice stairway back. I think it goes up pretty far. It’s an absolute maze. You could be jumping down there. I don’t even know where these voices are coming from. Yeah, it’s crazy.

I’m going to get lost. Holy cow! Yeah. Look at this. What the heck is this? Alright. Heading up. There’s a wooden staircase. So, I think… I think that means we have successfully navigated Kaymaklı, or at least the part that’s open to the public.

We’re coming to the end of the underground city tour. I’m very happy about the timing. I went… I heard to go around 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. because if you go earlier in the morning or later in the evening, you’ve got tour groups of 50 people.

It’s just packed and claustrophobic and a mess. So, pretty happy with how that turned out. Alright. Look at that! They sell ponchos here! Awesome. Nice. You love to see it. A lot of carpets, rugs all over the place. At least in Cappadocia. We have made it back to Göreme.

The sun is starting to set. So, this might be the only Cappadocia vlog that you come across that does not show any hot air balloons, except maybe this. If that counts. I’m not finished yet, though. There is some food specific to this region and I want to go and eat some right now.

So, I’ve got this nice corner spot with a view. The table is pretty small, so I can’t show you the food and myself at the same time. Don’t where there is no food yet. I did order. I did get this though. This is a Cappadocian şarap.

And I thought that was a type of grape because Cappadocia is a famous wine growing region. But I found out şarap is wine in Turkish. So, this is just a red wine. They didn’t tell me the brand. I think it’s just a house wine. And because it’s a mountainous region, from what

I understand, there’s a lot of just local vineyards. People have a few acres and they grow their own grapes. So, let’s see if it’s any good. It is a very drinkable wine. I like it. Okay, we’ve got our first appetizer. Let’s take a look. It is a salad.

You can see it’s kind of separated. Alright. Oh wait! Can I get a video? Sweet. Alright. I don’t know what’s going to happen. So, this is Testi Kebab. Yes, Pottery Kebab. Woah! Wow. Thank you. That looks really good too. That’s great! I had no idea there was a presentation involved.

And I was just recording. Here is our food for today And this is going to be great. I already know. I can smell it. Amazing. And I’ve got the onions. So as you saw Pottery Kebab. Pretty cool presentation. This Testi Kebab or Pottery Kebab is from this Cappadocia region.

So, I don’t know how available it is outside of here, but I definitely wanted to try it. I didn’t know it came with all the pottery, but it’s very good. So guys, thank you so much for watching. I apologize that there was no hot air balloon ride. I was looking forward to it.

It just doesn’t look like it’s going to work out. I could stay another day, but I don’t know if the weather is going to be all right. And there are other cities and places in Türkiye that I really want to go see. So I’m going to head on to the next place,

But I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please give it a like. Please subscribe. If you haven’t, I’d love to see you back in the next episode or in episodes after that. We’ve got a lot more coming your way. Stay tuned.

Shot on: November 15, 2023
Location: Nevşehir, Türkiye

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About this Cappadocia vlog:
In this episode, I headed out to Göreme, which is a city in Nevşehir, which is a province in Cappadocia, which is a region of Türkiye. While I didn’t get to see any hot air balloons, my main reason for going was to see the ancient underground cities of Cappadocia. True Turkish landmarks!

After hiking around and exploring the sights of the caves, churches and rooms carved into the fairy chimneys, I went out to Kaymaklı, the site of Kaymaklı underground city. These cities are subterranean wonders from the early Christians, and well worth the trip. I’d encourage you to check out these hidden cities if you have the chance! If you like this kind of historical exploration, I’ve got a lot more on the way, too!

About Nevşehir tourism:
Nevşehir, a captivating city in Turkey’s Central Anatolia region, is renowned for its rich historical tapestry and stunning landscapes. It serves as the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cappadocia, famous for its fairy-tale scenery, unique rock formations, and ancient cave dwellings. Tourists are drawn to the remarkable underground cities like Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı, which offer a glimpse into early Christian history and ingenious ancient engineering. Above ground, the region is dotted with iconic “fairy chimneys,” towering spires of rock, and enchanting valleys like Ihlara, ideal for hiking and photography.

Hot air ballooning is a must-do in Nevşehir, providing unparalleled views of the lunar-like landscape at sunrise. The Göreme Open-Air Museum, a complex of medieval cave churches adorned with frescoes, is another highlight. Visitors also enjoy local handicrafts, especially pottery and carpets, and savoring traditional Turkish cuisine. Nevşehir, blending its historical heritage with natural wonders, offers a truly unique travel experience, enchanting visitors with its otherworldly beauty and rich cultural legacy.

About Cappadocia’s history:
Cappadocia, a historical region in central Turkey, is a testament to both nature’s artistry and human resilience. Its history, spanning several millennia, is as intricate as its famous rock formations. The earliest recorded inhabitants, the Hittites, settled here around 1800 BCE. Over centuries, this region witnessed a mosaic of cultures, including Persians, early Christians, and Byzantines.

The unique geological formations of Cappadocia, created by volcanic eruptions followed by erosion, provided an ideal canvas for human habitation. The soft rock, easily carved, led to the creation of underground cities like Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı, which offered refuge and secrecy, particularly for early Christians during Roman persecutions. These cities, complete with ventilation shafts, chapels, and communal rooms, are engineering marvels.

Over time, Cappadocia became a blend of natural wonder and cultural heritage. It’s not just the physical beauty but the layers of history embedded in its caves and cliffs that enchant visitors, making it a unique chronicle of human adaptation and creativity.

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