Description of the attraction
Uchisar is located in the central part of Cappadocia, in the east of Asia Minor and is one of the most densely populated villages in the area. In fact, of course, most of the population lives in a modern village, built near the famous rocks, but there are living quarters in the rocks themselves.
This settlement is located in the center of a triangle formed by three cities: Nevsehir, Goreme and Yurgup. That is why the city was called Uchisar (three fortresses), “hisar” in Russian means a fortress. They represent a natural citadel.
Presumably, it was quite convenient and practical to settle in these rocks, since on one side tuff is a very pliable material, therefore it was easier to hollow out a cave inside such a rock than in a stone. On the other hand, in such caves it was more convenient to hide and watch the appearance of enemies on the horizon: from the side, nothing is visible, except for a small opening-entrance. Sometimes you won’t guess how large those hidden inside the room can be. Some caves are now being completed and rebuilt: they seem to be used as barns and sheds. Some of the modern houses in general are almost closely attached to the caves. Currently, the mountain village is used to attract tourists.
The owners of such houses earn by selling all sorts of souvenirs (from knitted socks to figurines). At the very bottom of the cliff there are premises closed for tourists. Maybe they still live in them, although, most likely, the locals come here “to work” from the neighboring village.
The city is famous for its fortress carved into the rock, which stands at the top of the hill. The Uchisar Fortress is a one-of-a-kind rocky settlement, with towers and spiers of white tuff located around the central peak on which it rises. This huge rock looks like Swiss cheese with holes. The fortress is dotted with rooms, tunnels and labyrinths. A gorgeous view of the entire valley opens from the top of the cliff. Climbing it, you can gaze almost all of Cappadocia. From here you can also see the mysterious Valley of Love, which is associated with many legends and stories.
"Citadel" rises above the village for several tens of meters. It appears as a large cylindrical tower on the west side and is propped up by a rocky spur, as if carved with a scalpel. The tunnel, which has a length of one hundred meters and was laid in the mountain in ancient times, stretches under the houses. It served to connect the fortress with the outside world, and in the event of a siege, it was used to supply the city with water.
Having admired the canyon located at the base of Uchisar, you can go down and walk a little to find yourself on the edge of a cliff of several hundred meters. This is a shepherd's road, cattle from Uchisar are walked here, there is a lot of grass and there is drinking water. At the bottom there is a valley, almost completely adapted for viticulture and horticulture. This is a very impressive picture: gardens mixed with vineyards, the scorching sun, and all around there is silence, not a soul, and only sometimes you can hear the rustle of grass.
Pigeons played a particularly important role in Cappadocia. Their droppings were used as fertilizer for the grapes grown here, which are then used to make fine wine. Small holes scattered throughout the rocks were used as dovecotes to collect droppings. Judging by their location (it's hard to imagine how the locals climbed there) and the number of these holes, pigeon droppings were really very important, and there was a whole cloud of pigeons there.
