THE arid plains of central Turkey may seem like a long way from the leafy Shire, but this has not stopped one town from cashing in on the success of the “Lord of the Rings” films by building its very own Hobbiton.

    Inspired by JRR Tolkein’s fantasy epic, transformed into a Hollywood blockbuster by Peter Jackson, two Hobbit houses have already been carved into the hillside at the Pasabahce Picnic Area in Sivas in Anatolia.

    But the demand for the unusual holiday homes is already so great that the mayor is planning to build 100 more.

    Each 65-square-meter home boasts a modern bedroom, a living room, bathroom, toilet and kitchen.

    The Mayor of the Sivas municipality Sami Aydin said, “I’m baffled at the demand.

    “I was expecting some attention but not this much.

    “The houses will be carved into the mountain and only the front terraces of them will have a valley view.

    “People will be able to book these houses for a week or ten days.

    “We initiated this project in order to put the valley to good use and establish a new tourism area both for Sivas and Turkey.”

    The mayor also claimed that the building of the village would in no way harm the natural habitat of the area or destroy the mountains.

    “We carve the houses inside the mountain without spoiling the nature.”

    Deputy Mayor Muaz Uzun said that the idea came from his son, who is a civil engineer.

    He added, “When he made the suggestion, I checked it and found that Hobbit houses were exactly what our mayor wanted to build.” (SD-Agencies)