Can you live in a hoodoo?

Yes, in the Cappadocia region of Turkey there are houses, hotel rooms and even churches carved out of them.

Hoodoos are also called tent rocks or fairy chimneys. They form naturally when a cap or bolder of hard rock protects softer rock below it from erosion. They are generally found in dry hot areas around the world.

In Cappadocia, the soft rock is thick volcanic ash that solidified into what is called tuff. An ancient river, wind and rain wore the tuff down. In places cone and pinnacle shaped formations that are sometimes 40 meters (130 feet) tall were left behind. The landscape looks like something out of a fantasy movie. In ancient times clever people discovered you could carve caves out of the rocks. These became homes and churches, especially for early Christians trying to escape the persecution of the Romans. Today visitors can say in “fairy chimney” hotels in the Cappadocia region.

Wind and rain continues to wear away at the ancient fairy chimney homes. Tourism and modern development are also big problems.