The landscape was formed as a result of the volcanic activity together with the erosion of the Kizilirmak river and wind over ten thausands of years erosions in the upper Myosen period. Over thousands of years chimney rocks appeared.
In the old Bronze Age the Cappadocia which was the population zone of the Assyrian civilization later has hosted the Hittite, Frig, Pers, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman civilizations.
The first Christians escaped from the persecution of the Roman Empire in the 2nd century B.C. came to the Cappadocia settled here.They lived and developed underground cities and built provisions rooms, ventilation chimneies, wine production places, churches, abbeys, water wells, toilets and meeting rooms.
They constructed the underground cities directly in the volcanic rocks. There are many underground cities in the Cappadocia.
Rooms are connected to each other with tight tunnels with barely enough room for one person. At the access gates of these tunnels there were huge key stone rollers used for closing the tunnels for security reasons.
The first populations of the region of Cappadocia were Hatties, Luvies and Hittites. In the 3000-2000 years B.C. the Assyrians have established trade colonies in this region.
Cappadocia was one of the most important places in the spreading periods of the Christian religion. Cappadocia was so suitable for hiding. Saint Basileious from Kaisera and Saint Gregorios from Nyssa had settled in Cappadocia. In 647 A.C. together with occupation of Kayseri by Muaviye Cappadocia has met with the Arabian invasions. Cappadocia which went under the domination of the Seljuks in 1072 has been added to the lands of Ottoman Empire in 1399 by the Ottoman Sultan Yildirim Beyazit.
