The strangest skyscrapers in the world

The 40m tall fairy chimneys in Cappadocia are the result of volcanic activity and weathering over millions of years , providing a unique habitat for humans.

Ventilation stone columns are nicknamed fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. (Photo: Smithsonian)

Fairy chimneys in Turkey are surreal-looking naturally aerated stone columns , up to 40 meters high, formed from soft volcanic rock eroded and weathered over millions of years, according to Live Science . Thousands of spindly, undulating stone pillars are scattered throughout the Love Valley in Göreme National Park , providing shelter for many human civilizations for nearly 4,000 years.

Volcanic activity began about 14 million years ago, laying the foundation for the jagged landscape we see today. A series of eruptions caused ash to blanket what is now Central Anatolia. The ash gradually hardens into thick layers of tuff, a light, hollow rock. The explosions then covered the tuff with lava, which later became a hard basalt shell. The chimneys formed over time as wind and water repeatedly impacted the rock, wearing away the tuff and leaving sharp columns. Basalt erodes more slowly. That's why many chimneys have mushroom-shaped basalt tops to this day.

Nature created the stone pillar, but humans also contributed to shaping the fairy chimney. The Hittites who settled in the area between 1800 and 1200 BC took advantage of the caves and tunnels in the rock column to live. Later, Central Anatolia crossed the borders of many rival empires, including Greek, Persian, Byzantine, and Roman. Frequent wars forced people in the area to dig shelters between and below the stone pillars. Christians fleeing ancient Rome even built churches and monasteries from the soft rock, expanding their network of caves and tunnels into sprawling underground cities.

The density of residential areas hidden among the stone pillars is so great that this is "one of the largest and most impressive cave settlements in the world" , according to UNESCO. Göreme National Park and the series of stone columns in Cappadocia became a World Heritage Site in 1985. According to National Geographic, the fairy chimneys are also "the world's strangest skyscrapers".