This morning we left Konya to follow the Silk Road on our way to Cappadocia. The Silk Road was the important route followed to bring goods, especially spices, from the East to Europe. A day’s journey was approximately 30 kilometers. This seems short but it was necessary because the men walked while the animals carried the loads. This maximized the amount of product that could be transported.
To accommodate the men and animals for the night a series of caravanserai was built every 30 kilometers. We stopped at Sultanhani which is the largest caravanserai in the region. It is awesome. The size of the structure and the quality of the stone engraving are beyond belief for a waypoint that did not charge for staying there. It had separate quarters for the animals, the men driving them, and the soldiers guarding them all.
The walls were several meters thick. The window openings were narrow on the outside and widened on the inside to permit more light to enter. No person could pass through them. There was provision made for eating and sleeping. As mentioned this was the largest site. The others though scaled down offered the same services.
We drove on. After lunch we started to see some of the rock formations that make Cappadocia famous. Soon we stopped at an underground city. This was a network of caves connected by tunnels. They were designed for protection against invaders. This was accomplished by making them hard to find. If found, the tunnels made it difficult for the invaders to overtake the local people. We went as far as the beginning chamber before the first tunnel. After listening to Saba’s explanation of the city and the hazards of the walk, Alice and I walked back to the surface. We would wait near the exit from the underground city.
As we approached this point we were hailed by local women selling handmade dolls and scarves. No one had been here when we arrived. The call had gone out while we were inside. The products and prices at each of the many tables were identical. We ended up buying a doll from a lady who seemed more civil than the others. This led to hissing and sniping from the others whom we had passed by. Saba had said they all seem to be from the same family and the bickering was all show. We enjoyed it.
Later we checked in to our hotel near a rock castle. The views around us were stunning. Dinner was a regional dinner at a local restaurant. We all retired early because some of the group had arranged to go on flying things in the morning. They would be picked up at 5:45.
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