In the heart of Turkey lies Cappadocia, a region famous for its strange and beautiful landscape. Rising from the ground are tall, thin, cone-shaped rocks that look almost unreal. People call them 'fairy chimneys', and their story goes back millions of years.
Long ago, volcanoes covered the area with thick layers of soft rock and ash. In places, harder stone sat on top of this softer material. Over an enormous span of time, wind and water slowly wore the landscape away. Where a hard stone capped the soft rock, it acted like an umbrella, protecting the column beneath it, while the surrounding rock eroded faster. The result was these remarkable cones, each often topped by a harder 'hat' of stone.
The soft rock had another advantage: it was easy to carve. Over the centuries, people cut homes, storerooms and churches directly into the chimneys and hillsides, and even built vast underground cities to shelter from danger. Today, Cappadocia is one of Turkey's most popular destinations, and at dawn dozens of colourful hot-air balloons drift above the valleys, offering an unforgettable view of this ancient, sculpted land.
