Mysterious Cappadocia

The multi-level Underground City of Kaymaklı is one of the largest underground cities in Cappadocia, with eight storeys. There are 36 underground cities in the area; some date back to the Hittites (5th century BC) and some as late as the 6th century AD. They were used by early Christians escaping persecution until the 7th century and cannot be noticed from ground level. Air shafts as deep as 85 metres were carved into the rock, with lateral galleries at different levels creating dwellings, bathrooms, kitchens, dining halls, storage rooms, wine cellars, chapels and graves; surface entrances were camouflaged.

Soğanlı Valley and Sinasos (Mustafapaşa) Village are the following stops. The former name of Mustafapaşa during the Ottoman era was Sinasos. It had a mixed population: Greeks and Karamanlides (Turkish-speaking Christians) formed the majority and Muslim Turks the rest. Although situated far from the sea, the Sinasiotes who migrated temporarily to Istanbul were known as traders of seafood and especially caviar.

Then visit Taşkınpaşa Village to see the ancient ruins of stonemasonry from the mid-14th century. The Keşlik Monastery dates from the 7th to the 13th century and houses 14 man-made churches carved into the rocks, with frescoes on the ceilings and walls depicting stories from the Bible.