Turkey's Cappadocia – a truly fairytale landscape

The height of geological eccentricity, Cappadocia, set amid the plains of Anatolia in central Turkey, combines fantastical topography with fascinating remnants of human history. By Sugato Mukherjee

  • Hills in Cappadocia, Turkey (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    The striking pink, cream and yellow banding of the hills of Cappadocia looks almost otherworldly
  • Mount Erciyes, Turkey's largest stratovolcano, with snow on its slopes (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    Mount Erciyes, Turkey's largest stratovolcano, created the alien landscape of Cappadocia millions of years ago
  • Rock-hewn caves near Goreme, Turkey (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    Some of the earliest settlements around Goreme date back to 1800 BC. For many centuries the inhabitants used the natural caves in these rock-hewn structures as their homes
  • Byzantine frescoes inside a church at Goreme open-air museum (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    Goreme Open Air museum, a cluster of rock-cut chapels and cavern churches, is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here we see Byzantine frescoes inside one of the churches
  • The subterranean city of Kaymakli in Cappadocia, Turkey (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    Kaymakli was a subterranean city in Cappadocia with eight underground levels that could house up to 10,000 people
  • Rolling stone door in the subterranean city of Kaymakli, Cappadocia (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    The aperture in the middle of the hefty rolling door provided a spyhole for the subterranean residents
  • Conical lava formations in Cappadocia, Turkey (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    The lava flows formed tuff rock, which the wind and rain sculpted into winding valleys of craggy cliffs and conical 'fairies'
  • Apple orchard photographed against a deeply riven rock face (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    Apple orchards, juxtaposed with barren rock, make for a stark contrast in Cappadocia
  • Rock formations in Devrent valley, Turkey (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    Devrent valley is strewn with myriad formations that resemble animals, such as this one, popularly known as the camel
  • Lunar landscape in Cappadocia, Turkey (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    The almost lunar panorama viewed from the upper level of Uchisar castle, the highest point in Cappadocia, is spellbinding
  • Balloons hovering above the Cappadocian plains (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    Balloons hovering above the volcanic spires and chimneys of the Cappadocian plains
  • descend a hillside in Cappadocia (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    Another exciting way to explore this unique landscape is via motorbike
  • Cappadocian landscape at sundown (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    The name Cappadocia means 'Land of Beautiful Horses', an epithet most apparent in the rays of the setting sun