At 09:30 we joined a local bus tour called the Greenline. The first stop was the famous underground cities of Derinkuyu. With 11 levels and roughly 85m at its deepest, Derinkuyu is the deepest underground city in the region. The guide explained that since the periods of Hatti and Hittite, people in Cappadocia had recognized the softness of the volcanic rock tufa and began to dig and carve to build. In many cases like the Derinkuyu, the underground cities were gradually developed over many generations and greatly expanded to the current scale during the Byzantine time. Ancient citizens often stayed underground for months during wars. Ventilation shafts, food storage, kitchens, and other essential amenities were provided, and so as underground church. We stayed at the underground city for about an hour.
The tour continued to the 1.5 hour hike at Ihlara Valley, a lush green gorge carved out by a stream. It was a pleasant walk along the stream. Along the cliffs on both sides, caves and pigeon holes could be seen everywhere. At the end of the hike, we visited a cave church, and then headed our way to a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we arrived at the village of Yaprakhisar, which is often mistakenly recognized as the filming site of one of the Star Wars movie. Local women and shepherds sat on the slope. Stone houses and caves dotted the hill slope, topped with some bizarre looking rock formations that remind people the landscape of a faraway planet.
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