If one wishes to see how early Christians lived and survived then this is the place. The region lies in central Turkey amidst surrounding flatlands. Hundreds if not thousands of houses and churches were carved into the rocks. It was wonderful to wander the area searching for places to explore. One could easily spend a few weeks doing just that and not discover all. I was blessed to meet there two fellow travelers from Holland. Robert and Klaartje are on their way to India overland through Iran and Pakistan. They were marvelous company over my four day stint in the area. I immediately felt that I was a friend with them and thoroughly enjoyed our chats and wanderings about the area. One night I joined them at a traditional Turkish restaurant they had discovered. The low tables and cushions for seats made for relational bliss and we spent all of an evening there. Sharing this journey I'm on is somehow always the sweeter. I should also mention Spotty the tour dog. This dog lives at the hotel where we stayed and the owners discovered an excellent way to avoid walking him. Any time guests wish to explore the area the dog will literally guide them and then return them when they have had their fill of wandering. I'm not sure that he follows any tour maps but will guide in and out of canyons and back to the hotel. Marvelous. Day two we (minus the dog) took a guided tour of most of the main areas. I'm glad that I did because the area is large and I could not have seen it all with buses. I was however dissapointed that the guide knew little detail of the Christian history of the area and instead gave more of a general historical overview.

The times had no doubt been treacherous for those early Christians as it seemed ever place was built to allow for a swift exit if needed. The most interesting place I found to be Derinkuyu, one of hundreds of underground cities. This city of sorts has eight levels (apparently there are more) and at one time housed about ten thousand people. This for periods of up to six months. Each city was connected with tunnels of up to seven or eight kilometres in length. As I wandered its levels with the tour group I tried to imagine what life would be like living underground even just for a day. The tunnels were cramped, the light of course perpetually dim (this with modern lightbulbs throughout), and the air thin. In the past air vents reaching all levels kept air circulating but it could not have been the same as the air quality at the surface. I thought how difficult and dreary a life it would be.

Since though I have considered a different perspective. Many churches of comfortable Christianity lack what these people must have had, community. They would have been some of the first to hear the message that relationship between man and God had been restored. Together they accomplished incredible feats in the midst of hardship and persecution. In contrast I grew up surrounded with apathy related to the message of Christ and an overwhelming lack of community in churches. Two thousand years later the greatest event in human history has been reduced to a Sunday morning ritual in many parts of the world. It meant so much more than that to those who lived and oft died for their decision to follow after their savior.

I have added three new galleries to Lovable Quirks. The first is from a picnic with Cahit and some of his buddies before I went to Cappodocia. In the Cappodocia album you can see pictures of my Dutch companions and of the tour dog.