Furrows of the Volcanic Valley, a photo from Nevsehir, Central Anatolia

Photographer's Note

The name “Cappadocia” dates back to Persian times, when the region was called as “katpatukya” meaning “Land of Beautiful Horses”. It is a land of vast plains, rolling hills, rugged mountains and extinct volcanoes. The surrealistic geological formation of Cappadocia is one of the wonders of the world. It is the result of the natural forces during the intense volcanic activity.

In recent times, Cappadocia became famous for its unique landscape of valleys and unusual rock formations, known as "fairy chimneys". The formation of this strange landscape started during the third geological period, when three volcanoes located on the edges of this region began erupting frequently. The deposits of volcanoes ash, lava and basalt laid the foundations for today's landscape. Earthquakes and ongoing effects of erosion have contributed to form the valleys and the "fairy chimneys" that can be seen today.

From 65 million to 2 million years ago, the fracturing process allowed the magma to find its way to the surface where it formed the Erciyes, Develi, Melendiz, Kegiboydoran, and Hasan Dag cones. After numerous eruptions these cones increased in size and formed a chain of volcanoes running parallel to the Taurus Mountains. Also the volcanic material slowly ran towards the depressed areas and covered the previously formed hills and valleys. This geological activity changed the general landscape of the region, giving it the appearance of a plateau.

Wind, climate, mechanical weathering, rain, snow, and rivers caused the erosion giving to Cappadocia its unusual and characteristic rock formations. The Cappadocian climate, with sharp changes of temperature, heavy rains, and melting snow in the spring, plays an important role in the formation of the Cappadocian landscape. In addition, mechanical weathering is responsible for fragmentation because rocks expand when heated and break up as they cool. Frozen water in the cracks can also cause fragmentation. However, the most important sources of erosion are rain and rivers. Heavy rainfall transformed the smooth surface of the plateau into a complex pattern of gullies that followed preexisting fissures in the rocks. Eroded materials were then removed by the rivers. Sometime streams and rivers made very sharp vertical cuts into the volcanic soil and created isolated pinnacles at the intersection of two or more gullies. Rain and rivers also formed valleys such as Zelve and Goreme.

holmertz, danos, pierrefonds, cornejo, shreya2000, papagolf21, jjcordier, mkamionka, pajaran, ourania, kordinator, omid266, jhm, Graal, ChrisJ, Wanda1, PaulVDV ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

holmertz (92724) 2015-04-15 2:22

Hello Angshuman,
This strange and beautiful scenery looks almost more fascinating when seen from above, where we get a different perspective of the rocks and canyons cutting through the plain. The other balloons way down below yours are quite fascinating to watch. Until recently I wasn't aware of the fact that there were also underground cities built in this area thousands of years ago. This is indeed one of the most remarkable areas in the world. One single photo can only give us a small idea about that, but you have done well here. The warm light and the soft colours are wonderful.
Kind regards,
Gert

danos (110407) 2015-04-15 3:02

Hello Angshu,
great the panoramic view of Cappadocia's land from the hot air balloon.
I like this breathtaking aerial view with the created texture of the land to are so impressive.The excellent light and colour management enhance the details as the beauty of the scene.

Regards,Danos

pierrefonds (103384) 2015-04-15 4:45

Hi Angshuman,

The wideness of the area is giving depth to the composition. The point of view is showing the details of the volcanic valley and of the hot aot balloons. The good luminosity is enhancing the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Nicou (193806) 2015-04-15 6:08

Hlelo

quelle vue de la capadoce du ciel fantastique quel rendu sur cette fameuse roche et travil de l'écorision sueprbe avec le boule s de montgolfières superbe cpatage et iamge.
Bravo et amitié
Nciou

Sergiom (117241) 2015-04-15 6:15

Bonjour Angshuman,

On dirait bien que la montgolfière dans laquelle tu te trouves a pris une certaine avance et beaucoup de hauteur pour te permettre de prendre les autres en plongée. On dirait un immense coup de griffe à la surface de la terre.

Amicalement

Serge

Gerrit (59968) 2015-04-15 7:40

Hello Angshu,
excellent view down this beautiful and remarkable valley. I guess you were in a balloon too.
thanks and regards,
Gerrit

cornejo (61504) 2015-04-15 10:00

Hello Angshuman, lovely aerial view of this beautiful and interesting landscape, beautifully captured in this great and beautiful picture and very well described in the excellent note. Wonderful image of a lovely place, very good sharpness, depth and quality. An excellent job perfectly done, congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this beautiful work.

Good night and happy rest of the week.
Warm greetings from southern Spain.
Angel.

lousat (129831) 2015-04-15 14:53

Hi Anghsu,fantastic view of this incredible valley,and a great 3D effect too made by lights and shadows,very interesting new post from the Cappadocia well done as usual,i like it!Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

federico (6109) 2015-04-15 15:41

hi Angshuman, very nice view, full of colours with a very warm light, of course the best in your work is the high POV, this makes your photo unique
regards
Fred

shreya2000 (2815) 2015-04-15 21:40

Dear Dada,

A high class photography.

I like the panoramic view of the valley. You have shown many things in the picture. We can judge about the nearby area.
I like it.

Regards,
joginder

papagolf21 (152599) 2015-04-15 23:36

Bonjour, cher ami Angshu,
Les ballons multicolores survolant la vallée offrent un spectacle de grande qualité.
Encore une image à classer parmi les réussites.
Très bonne journée.
Amitiés.
Philippe

jjcordier (79299) 2015-04-15 23:44

Angshuman
Une vue générale sur la Cappadoce assez impressionnante. les montgolfières ajoutent un plus à l'image.
Amicalement
JJ

williewhistler (16606) 2015-04-16 1:15

Hello Angshuman,
this is a breathtaking view of a remarkable Valley with the balloons below adding even more drama to the scene.
The soft glowing light is another delightful factor in this engrossing photograph.
Regards Les.

Fis2 (155425) 2015-04-16 1:46

Witaj Angshu!
Wonderful landscape!
Excellent POV and colours.
Balloons add flavor of composition.
Very well done.
I like it.
Nice afternoon
Krzysztof

mkamionka (61018) 2015-04-16 5:01

Hi Angshu,
this is a fantastic perspective on this extraordinary land. I so regret that I did not do the balloon ride! I thought it was too much but I could have afford it. Now I will regret forever especially looking at your fantastic reportage from this trip.
The balloons at the bottom make great scale markers and add some extra color.
Excellent work,
M

pajaran (102460) 2015-04-16 6:08

Dobar dan, popodne.
Lep pogled i trenutak, interesantan i dobar tekst ....
Dobar trenutak snimka, kontrast i perspektiva, lepo pokazano.
Dobar rad, lepo uhvacen trenutak sa balonima.
Lepa priroda.
Lepo popodne i sve najbolje.
Paja.

Good afternoon, this afternoon.
Beautiful view of the moment, interesting and good text ....
Good time recording, contrast and perspective, beautifully shown.
Good work, beautiful moment captured with balloons.
Beautiful nature.
A nice afternoon and all the best.
Paja.

ourania (51103) 2015-04-16 6:52

Hello Angshu,
your photo offers one of the most beautiful and breath taking descriptions of this experience that I've seen. Your point of view is amazing, way above the little group of balloons gathered together and not distracting our fascination with the scenery. The morning light has a very lovely quality, we have the chance to see and appreciate an immense part of this unique landscape. All the information cited in your note is excellently illustrated in this photo. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great day,
Ourania

kordinator (8738) 2015-04-16 9:24

Dear Angshuman
Excellent the panoramic view of Cappadocia's land taken from the hot air balloon.
Perfect light managenent and color tones.
Fantastic relief details.
Really excellent composition and presentation.
Best wishes
Saša

omid266 (6812) 2015-04-16 20:15

Salam dear Angshu,

Wonderful 3D shot from the volcanic valley,

indeed so beautiful work,

Skilfully taken and made, Thanks!

Best Regards,*** Congratulations!

berek (50518) 2015-04-16 22:33

Dear Angshuman
what a view of Cappadocia fantasy sky which made this famous rock and travil . with s superb ball balloons cpatage and iamge.congratulations. I would like to meet you here once more came to Turkey :-)

All teh best.
Burak

jhm (202823) 2015-04-17 4:27

Hello Angshu,

One wonderful panorama sight about the area.
The five balloons above the mountains gives a extra touch to your wonderful picture.
Also the picture create depth and perspective.
This is incredible nice done, with a great clarity and sharpness.
Very well presentation, TFS.

Best regards,
John

abmdsudi (88423) 2015-04-17 6:44

Namaste Angshu
A great bird-eye-view point. I love the sweeping composition of a strong landscape with the balloons & curving right to the top and this really captures the early morning light beautifully. You must be very pleased with this, tones,lighting and detail are fabulous, indeed an awesome opportunity so well captured. An amazing spectacle that you have done justice to. Nice work, Congrats
Best wishes

Graal (103040) 2015-04-19 6:04

Hello Angshuman,
very nice landscape and view from balloon. Amazing Cappadocia in Turkey. Interesting informations. Very well done photo. I like it.
Have a nice evening.
Aleksander

ChrisJ (159862) 2015-04-20 21:53

Hello Angshuman,

Well composed with the horizon well positioned on the 1/3 horizontal axis. Good sharpness and the distinctive landscape of Cappadocia is enthralling. Good sharpness and nice repetition of the hot air balloons. Tfs.

npecanhuk (79329) 2015-04-27 12:40

Hello Angshuman!
Unique and truly interesting & attractive landscape!
Very beautiful picture too!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, horizontal format, chosen high pov and composition are all excellent!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

Wanda1 (15142) 2015-05-02 0:22

Hi Angshuman,
I see that you had better weather for your ballon trip over Cappadocia than we did. I like your wide view showcasing the expanse of these strange an fascinating formations, and the balloons included really give a sense of scale to the landscape. There is also a good depth to the image, sharp from foreground right into the distance.
Regards
Wanda

PaulVDV (54735) 2015-05-06 9:27

Hello Angshuman,
Wow ! Your balloon has clearly reached a much higher altitude than all the others.
This aerial view shows the beautiful rock formations but at the same time also the cultivated land around.
It results in a very nice alternation of green and brownish land.
Is it easy to take sharp pictures when flying in een balloon ?
Best regards, Paul