Layer Upon Layer, a photo from Nevsehir, Central Anatolia

Photographer's Note

The most distinguishing feature of the Ürgüp area of Cappadocia has to be the ‘fairy chimneys’; volcanic tuff pinnacles which have been used over centuries as accommodation for people and livestock and as storage for agricultural produce. The soft rock both above and below ground level has been hollowed out and in some places tunnels and rooms extend down to twelve levels below ground.

In Ortahisar, the town is characterized by a huge chimney rock in its center, which is often referred to as a “castle.” The houses seem to be built in successive layers which surround the castle. In this detail shot one gets a feel for this. Architectural decoration is typically Greek and the houses vary in their state of repair. In the WS you can see a view of Ortahisar which shows a wide view of the town. If you look carefully at the ‘castle’, you will note hollowed out chambers. More caves dwellings can be seen throughout the buildings.

Anyone visiting this area can stay in a cave hotel, we did and it was fascinating.

This photograph is copyright of Rosemary Walden - © Rosemary Walden 2013. All rights reserved. Any redistribution or reproduction of the image in any form is prohibited. You may not, except with my express written permission, copy, reproduce, download, distribute or exploit the content. Nor may you transmit it or store it in any other website or other form of electronic retrieval system

Mondaychild, Noel_Byrne, timecapturer, tyro, PaulVDV, papagolf21, Gigidusud, jjcordier, abmdsudi, williewhistler, josepmarin, delpeoples, annjackman, macjake, InasiaJones, Wanda1, tatadalou has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Mondaychild (378) 2013-02-17 4:24

Hello Rosemary,

interesting photo! I like all these different structures and shades of the walls. Must go there one day ...

mesutilgim (68620) 2013-02-17 4:38

Hello Rosemary,
Very nice capture from Ortahisar, one of the most beautiful corners in Cappadoce.
The stonework on the fassades is amasing.
Many interesting notes makes your entry a perfect TE entry.
Just for information : In the sixties an old citisen of Ortahisar -a real blbliophil- filled two boxes loaded on his donkey with books and left every week a book to each house. He was named as "Librarien with Donkey" . A very interesting book was written about him which was than a bestseller.
This information went also to Unesco, who were been very mich inspired and they made him a great gift : A new Jeep ! But due to the hilly landscape and narrow streets he never used it and continued his service with his donkey !
TFS and have a nice weekend
MESUT ILGIM

Noel_Byrne (8073) 2013-02-17 4:50

hi Rosemary,
A brilliant subject for a photo, and that the frame is filled with all these homes and structures is superb. I always look to see layers of buildings like this, be in on hillsides, mountains, in desert or by the sea, so this is a gem for me. I also like how, as you say, the buildings are various states of repair. From the abaondoned looking one in top right to the delicate arches of the blue building near the foreground, a nice variety of buildings.

Thanks for sharing, have a great Sunday
All the best
Noel

ACL1978 (6103) 2013-02-17 5:23

Hi Rosemary,

Architecture and layout like this seems to define many places in Central Turkey - largely, I suspect, due to the many pourous-rock areas around. I really like this view, which by focusing in on the detail really emphasizes the cramped, layered layout you discuss. One can imagine this scene stretching out as far as the eye can see - beautiful in a way, though I doublt I'd like to live there. Certainly I'd like to visit though!

Thanks,
Andrew

siudzi (24689) 2013-02-17 5:47

Hi Rosemary,
What a fantastic city scape you have found and photographed! I'm impressed of a lot of extremely interesting details and decorations on these building. Even some of them are in a bad conditions the view is spectacular in my opinion. Well done and tfs!

Best,
Gosia

timecapturer (31278) 2013-02-17 6:16

Hi Rosemary
a nice crop this that does show us the layers here so beautifully. Gloriously rustic and full of character, despite the sat-dishes. Sharp and perfectly managed light amke this so tantalising.

Enjoy your Sunday - Brian.

JFS (32429) 2013-02-17 8:05

Very interesting close-up Rosemary! So many details...your eye see everything:) Good work!
Cheers,
çJuan

tyro (13585) 2013-02-17 8:15

Hello Rosemary,

What a most interesting note! I presume that these buildings cut into the rock are somewhat akin to the structures in Petra in Jordan?

A wonderfully "busy" photograph with lots and lots of details and a lovely variety of colours and textures. But curiously I think I can only see a single person - perhaps the inhabitants were sheltering from the heat of the day?

Fascinating!

Kind Regards

John.

umutlu101 (12226) 2013-02-17 8:27

salut Rosemary,
excellent compo...
j'aime cette construction en pierre ancien...
tfs
ömer

PaulVDV (15365) 2013-02-17 11:23

Hello Rosemary,
I've also always been attracted to towns or districts of towns built in successive layers on or around a mountain, a rock, etc. Ortahisar is a very good exemple of it.
Here you show us a magnificent and attractive crop of the view of Ortahisar.
A well detailed picture, beautiful textures and colours.
Best regards, Paul

papagolf21 (76995) 2013-02-17 11:41

Bonsoir, chère Rosemary,
Il est bien difficile de rester insensible au charme de tes compositions.
Il y a une ambiance toute particulière que tu sais valoriser avec talent.
J'apprécie comme il se doit et j'applaudis.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Gigidusud (8332) 2013-02-17 13:40

Hello Rosemary,
Great close-up on the city and beautiful WS too.Well done!
Best regards.
Gigi

jjcordier (63074) 2013-02-17 21:59

Rosemary
Ce cadrage serré sur les façades imbriquées les unes dans les autres est intéressant mais j'avoue préférer la vue du WS présentant la ville et son environnement très spectaculaire.
Amicalement
JJ

dkmurphys (37419) 2013-02-17 22:37

Hi Rosemary,
Spectacular detail of the old part of the city. Charming textures and shapes, well seen.

Daniel

CPD66 (652) 2013-02-18 4:57

Hi Rosemary,
i like the tight cropping of your shot concentrating the close proximity of the buildings.
good photo
Chris

sevy (13373) 2013-02-18 5:26

Hello Rosemary,

I like this kind of shot very graphic.
The main difficulty is to find the right composition to keep a good readability of the view. It is the case here.
Moreover, the tele-lens makes the grounds to be 'compressed' which is increasing the feeling to look a kind of cubism painting.

Yves.

abmdsudi (27118) 2013-02-18 7:26

Hi Rosemary
A quite astonishing shot I can only admire of a very unique location in such compact dwelling without empty space and wonder how the residents go in-and-out in such a seemingly very tight place. The perspective, pov, composition and definition are all excellent with bits of colors everywhere, and your 300mm did a good job there. The photo effectively achieves its aim and thks for sharing this strange looking place. Congrats.
Kind regards

williewhistler (7595) 2013-02-18 7:48

Hello Rosemary,
there are so many interesting features in this lovely photograph that it is difficult to know where to look first,from the arches to the impeccable windows,everything that adds up to a super shot.
Kindest regards Les.

krzychu30 (9399) 2013-02-19 0:50

Hello Rosemary,
your detailed close-up view of these buildings is magnificent.Also layered arrangement of them makes it´s a perfect subject for photographers.And even if some of those buildings look quite devastated,they still have its own charm i beauty.Excellent presentation!

Have a nice day
Krzysztof

josepmarin (55209) 2013-02-19 3:31

Hello Rosemary,
in the WS we can know this village by means of a good visual angle, but in this close-up you have caught an interesting image with a strong graphical effect, because of the tight houses some on others and the richness of its old architectural elements. The composition is attractive and is executed-well.
Best regards,
Josep

delpeoples (45717) 2013-02-19 16:43

Hello dear Rosemary

Apologies for critique slackness, I'm drowning here at work. But I've been admiring this photo for a couple of days and couldn't resist. The tight framing works so beautifully here and I really like the strong colour saturation and the textures it has brought out. The details around those windows at the top of the frame are exquisite, I can't keep my eyes off them. A superb shot, one I wish I had in my Gallery.

Hugs, hope you're keeping well
Lisa

PS: Had a wonderful night last week with Gladys and Les. What wonderful people they are and what an inspiration Gladys is!

annjackman (13463) 2013-02-21 10:05

Hello Rosemary,
This is very well cropped with no sky to distract from the layers of buildings. This is a picture that holds interest as there are some lovely details to examine.
Beautifully produced - very well done.
Kind Regards, Ann

macjake (39998) 2013-02-23 13:21

Hi Rosemary
this one is pretty darn cool!
isn't it funny that no matter how old and historic a city is - as evidenced by your shot here - that people still have satelite dishes :)
this is a wacky collection of architecture, a true mix-mash, but i like it. its also a great cultural scene with true-life subjects.
thanks for this unique scene
cheers
craig

InasiaJones (29355) 2013-02-23 16:13

Hi Rosemary,

Although I am using English to speak to people now that I am living in South Africa, my emotional side still reacts in French and when I saw this shot, what came out of my mind was:"Wow! Ça c'est beau!".

I like the compression you have obtain by using your 300mm, the selection of houses you have framed and the nice light that allows details and textures to stand out.

Captivating!

André

Wanda1 (14018) 2013-02-23 21:47

Hi Rosemary,
This little town set upon the hill with its steep streets and rock castle towering over it I found wonderful too. I like your patchwork of buildings that you have chosen to depict here with many details to keep our eyes busy and searching through all the little nooks and crannies. I agree with you too that staying in a cave hotel in the Cappadocia region is a must and a great experience.
Regards
Wanda

COSTANTINO (42760) 2013-03-01 5:28

Hello
different capture of this place
shot that brings memories from
the past,your notes are very
useful and this su bjet is
fantastic about Cappadocia
regards
Costantino

tatadalou (3327) 2013-03-27 15:14

Hi Rosemary,
A shot very different from the desert views you frequently post on TE ! Your tight framing shows all the charm of this tangle of houses. Best regards,
Delphine

BennyV (12859) 2013-04-17 6:04

Hello Rosemary

The title says it all really. This shot stands out in your gallery of beautiful scenes and pictures. It shows a different kind of beauty, an uglier kind of beauty. It gets a thumbs up from me. Cheers.

benny