Whirling dervish
Traditional dancing
We've been fortunate enough to spend the last 5 days in Cappadocia - this treasure lies in the middle of Turkey and was shaped by large volcanic eruptions over 30 million years ago. The strange landscape of today is a direct result of a thick layer of ash, mud and basalt that the volcanoes deposited all over this area. Within this layer there are more than 28 underground cities - some reaching 8 floors underground. Here whole communities could hide from attackers. In other parts the famous fairy chimneys - not only beautiful at sunrise or sunset, but also home to many generations of people. Some say for close on 5000years!! During the early years of Christianity many came here to flee the persecution and they left hundreds of churches and monestaries carved into the volcanic soil. Add to this a healthy mix of Romans, Greeks, Turkish raiders and nomads plus a multitude of ruling parties and you begin to get a vague idea of the rich history of this remarkable place.
We met up with my family here and last night we all went to a "Turkish night" - a special evening of Turkish food (free booze) and spectacular traditional Turkish dancing - from the whirling dervishes, to belly dancing and folk dancing - mock sword-fights and great music. Just a lot of fun!
Unfortunately tomorrow's our last day here and then we'll head for the enormous city of Istanbul!
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