The fairy chimneys towering up to 40 meters in Cappadocia are the result of volcanic activity and erosion over millions of years, providing a unique habitat for humans.
Fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. (Photo: Smithsonian)
The fairy chimneys in Turkey are surreal-looking natural rock formations, reaching heights of up to 40 meters, formed from soft volcanic rock that has been eroded and weathered over millions of years, according to Live Science. Thousands of slender rock columns rise throughout Love Valley in Göreme National Park, providing shelter for numerous human civilizations for nearly 4,000 years.
Volcanic activity began around 14 million years ago, laying the groundwork for the rugged landscape we see today. A series of eruptions coated the area now known as Central Anatolia with ash. This ash gradually hardened into thick layers of tuff, a lightweight and porous rock. Subsequent eruptions encased the tuff in lava, which later became the hard basalt shell. The fairy chimneys formed over many periods as wind and water continuously eroded the rock, sculpting the tuff and leaving behind pointed columns. Basalt erodes more slowly, which is why many of the chimneys have mushroom-shaped basalt caps that remain intact to this day.
While nature created these rock columns, humans also contributed to shaping the fairy chimneys. The Hittites settled in the area from 1800 to 1200 BC and utilized the caves and tunnels within the rock columns for living spaces. Later, Central Anatolia became a crossroads for many rival empires, including the Greeks, Persians, Byzantines, and Romans. Frequent wars forced the local population to dig out hiding places within and beneath the rock columns. Early Christians fleeing from ancient Rome even built churches and monasteries from the soft rock, expanding the network of caves and tunnels into sprawling underground cities.
The density of habitation hidden among the towering columns is such that it is described as “one of the largest and most impressive cave dwellings in the world”, according to UNESCO. Göreme National Park and the cluster of rock columns in Cappadocia were designated a World Heritage Site in 1985. According to National Geographic, the fairy chimneys are also “the strangest skyscraper community in the world.”
