The fairy chimneys formed over millions of years. Long ago, nearby volcanoes covered the area in soft ash that hardened into a soft, chalky rock called tuff. Rain and wind slowly carved the rock away - except for the bits that had hard caps of stronger rock on top. The hard caps protected the soft rock below them, and the tall pointy towers we see today were left behind.
People have lived in this strange landscape for thousands of years. Because the rock is so soft, they were able to dig homes, churches and even whole towns straight into the cliffs and the chimneys. Some of these cave homes are still lived in today.
There are also underground cities. The biggest one, called Derinkuyu, goes 18 floors down into the earth. It had rooms for sleeping, kitchens, schools, stables for animals and even tunnels for fresh air. Thousands of people could live down there at once.
Today Cappadocia is most famous for its sunrise balloon flights. Hot-air balloons rise slowly into the cold morning air, glowing in the sun, and float silently over the fairy chimneys. From above, the whole landscape looks like a stone forest.