V3 Fairy House

Our last day in Cappadocia, before we head further east. Over breakfast, we came up with a plan for the day, knowing that there was a chance of rain and cooler temperatures.

We started at Paşabağ, just north of where we’d hiked on Sunday. This is the stereotypical “fairy chimneys” of Cappadocia – harder volcanic layers sitting on top of softer layers, combined with weathering and cracking, resulted in the magical (or phallic, or both) structures that dot the landscape. Some of them were carved out as living spaces. Tour buses all stop there, so it’s not a hidden treasure, but it’s still very cool. Even better, if you walk a few hundred yards away from the tourists, you can explore on your own. We did some light slab climbing up to a very cool little cliffside house.

After exploring Paşabağ, we drove north to the town of Avanos. It’s a charming town known for pottery, and we got a coffee and lunch, plus some baked goods. Then we kept going north for a mystery spot from Google Maps – a purple dot labeled “natural travertines and ancient mills”. No explanation, no reviews, no photos.

It turned out to be a very cool find, though some of it we only came to understand after our visit. Arriving at the site, we saw the ruins of an old milling complex, plus a modern structure that appeared related to water management. Later we found out that this is a covered pool, used to supply irrigation water to the orchards in the area. Above the modern structure is a series of older walls. Above that, we found a “stream” of travertine.

Travertine is formed when calcium carbonate precipitates from hot water emerging from the ground, rapidly building up deposits. In the “stream” we found grasses, branches, even bottle caps encased in the travertine. It was a confusing site, even for the geologist, because there was no sign of active water flowing. The historic buildup of travertine was also clear at the mill ruins, where the tailraces had been encased.

The weather started turning on us pretty quickly, so we rushed back to the car. There we did the research we should have done before setting out, and understood a bit more about the site. Super fun diversion and a good experience going to a random spot on the map.

From there, we went to another random purple dot – the Belha Monastery. By some accounts, this is one of the earlier Christian sites in the area – maybe as early as the 4th century, but more likely the 6th. It’s a large monastery complex, with a refectory, living quarters, and large worship halls. Aside from a signpost on the highway, there were no other markers or signs. A highlight was the 15 meter long tunnel connecting two parts of the site.

Wrapping up our day, we drove south to the town of Mustafapaşa. This is one of Rick Steves’ favorite towns in the area, and it’s easy to see why. There are huge cave dwelling complexes right in the town, and in general it feels extremely authentic. We wandered around for a while, before heading back to Urgup. I had to take a work call, so we set ourselves up in the hotel bar for some tea. We wrapped the day with an amazing dinner at Deve Hanı.