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And now, I'm arriving in Cappadocia, where the powerful movements of the earth's crust
created the Taurus mountain range 60 million years ago. And thus began the history of this place.
After the volcanoes, the action of the winds and waters
carved out these "enchanted landscapes", some as improbable as these "fairy chimneys".
A place like this can't be overlooked. In the 4th century, some anchorites came here.
Later on, whole religious communities came and excavated their monasteries, churches and homes.
Modern times have brought electricity, gas
and some tools, but the people of Cappadocia and their cattle still live under the roofs
of these troglodyte buildings, but, of course, with some improvements.
The first settlers were interested in spirituality, so they eliminated all excess from their decoration and from the sacred images they worshipped.
This period of authentic minimalism was followed by a more colorful one showing episodes from the Bible...
and, later on, scenes from the life of Christ and his apostles.
No sunlight could reach these underground temples, so their paintings and murals have
remained intact until now, and can be viewed in all their splendor.
No one knows how many people lived in this subterranean world, but it's thought that
some communities had more than thirty thousand members.