Cappadocia, located in Central Anatolia, means "Land of Beautiful Horses" in Persian. It includes the provinces of Aksaray and Nevsehir as well as Nigde, Kayseri, Kirsehir, Nigde and Kayseri. Uchisar and Kaymakli are the major towns.
Millions of years ago, Cappadocia was covered with a layer tuff by the eruptions of the volcanoes of Erciyes and Hasandag. This tuff layer was gradually eroded over millennia and left behind earth formations. Cave art has continued to bear the marks of ancient civilisations. The Palaeolithic Period is when the first human settlements were made in Cappadocia. And the Hittites are the originators of the written history. Cappadocia was an important trading point and link between the different lands along the Silk Road throughout its history.
The best time to go to cappadocia volcanoes beneath the lakes erupted during the Upper Miocene period and speuted lava. The lava created a plateau that was constantly being altered by smaller eruptions. The region began to take shape during the Upper Pliocene Epoch when the Kizilirimak River and smaller streams and lakes cut into the tuff plateau.
The tuff structure was eroded by wind and rainwater that fell down valley sides. These formations are known as fairy chimneys. Cappadocia's main type of fairy chimney is the conical, calcareous rock structures that are topped with either a cone- or mushroom-shaped cap.
These formations best represent the cultures of the Prehistoric Period in Cappadocia: Kosk Mound, Asikli Mound and Civelek Cave at Nevsehir. The Prehistoric Period was when human settlements in Cappadocia started. However, the Early Bronze Age saw the rise of Assyrian Civilisation. This era was the peak of trading, and the first written examples in Anatolia are dated to that period. The Cappadocia Tablets, written in Old Assyrian Cuneiform script, discuss methods of taxation, interest rates and marriage contracts.
The empires of Hittitei Phrygian and Persian, Roman, Byzantine and Seljuk followed the Hattian settlers. Each left their mark on Cappadocia's beautiful landscape.
Cappadocia was located on the Silk Road's main trading routes. It was a place where different religions and philosophies met, and each left an impression on the region. Christians who left Jerusalem in 2nd century AD traveled through Antakya or Kayseri to reach Central Anatolia. They settled in the vicinity around Derinkuyu.