Did you know that there is a famous region which we know for its breathtaking landscape, but its name means “the land of beautiful horses”?

Horses were valued gifts to kings in ancient times and even used to pay as taxes. Amazing, right?

Whereas Cappadocia is famous today for its otherworldly topography and a strong connection to the past, the region was known for something else altogether in ancient times; horses. Even the name itself, Cappadocia, is derived from the Persian word “Katpatuka”, meaning the land of beautiful horses. Ancient sources mention gifts or tributes of horses from the region presented to ancient Assyrian and Persian kings. When Cappadocia was under Persian governance, horses were part of the taxes paid. The locals today still value horses, which sometimes offer visitors an alternative mode of transport. Thousands of other wild horses roam free on the mountains and plains of Turkey’s Anatolia region, the descendants of horses that were abandoned by farmers. … These days, they can be spotted roaming in herds in several Turkish provinces, including Manisa, Mus, Kayseri and Karaman

More about booking travel to Turkey