02.11.2026 16:40
The Ecology Union reacted to footage showing that fairy chimneys in Cappadocia were demolished with construction machinery on the grounds of collapse risk. Describing the demolition as "a massacre of humanity's common heritage," the union demanded that risky structures be strengthened in place using contemporary engineering methods without being demolished, and that heavy vehicle traffic and motorized vehicle tours be stopped; it called on the Cappadocia Area Presidency and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to take action.
(ANKARA) -
The Ecology Union called for stopping the demolition of fairy chimneys in Cappadocia with construction machinery on the grounds that they pose a risk, and for the implementation of scientific conservation methods.
THE MASSACRE OF HUMANITY'S COMMON HERITAGE
In the statement made by the Ecology Union, the following was recorded:
“In Cappadocia, we watched with anger and sorrow the footage taken by Mükremin Toprak, a member of the Cappadocia Environmental Platform, showing the demolition of fairy chimneys formed over millions of years by construction machinery on the grounds that they pose a risk. This destruction is a massacre of humanity's common heritage. Destroying nature and history's most unique pieces under the pretext of preventing a disaster cannot be a conservation method.
CALL FOR IN-SITU REINFORCEMENT AND BAN ON VEHICLE TOURS
It is possible to save the fairy chimneys without destroying them and to carry them safely into the future. We demand that these demolitions be stopped immediately and that the following emergency steps warned by experts be taken: Structures at risk of collapse should be reinforced in place without demolition using contemporary engineering methods. Heavy vehicle traffic and motorized vehicle tours in the valleys, which crack the fairy chimneys from within, should be stopped immediately. Risky areas should be monitored 24/7 with technological monitoring systems, and early warning mechanisms should be established before disasters occur. The effects of air and water that accelerate natural erosion should be brought under control through protective surface interventions.
Nature and history are not a heritage to us, but an entrustment we have received from future generations. Cappadocia is not a commercial open-air amusement park, but a natural wonder millions of years old. We call on the Cappadocia Area Administration and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to stop the construction machinery and listen to the voices of experts.”