Complex sentence: After the region fell to the Ottomans the cities were used as refuges (καταφύγια) from the Turkish muslim rulers, and as late as the 20th century the inhabitants, called Cappadocian Greeks, were still using the underground cities to escape periodic waves of Ottoman persecution.
Split into simpler sentences: After the region fell to the Ottomans the cities were used as refuges (καταφύγια) from the Turkish muslim rulers. As late as the 20th century the inhabitants, called Cappadocian Greeks, were still using the underground cities to escape periodic waves of Ottoman persecution.