CAPPADOCIA
The old name given to the ancient region in the central part of Anatolia, north of the Taurus Mountains and on the rugged plateau in the Kızılırmak arc. Çorum, Yozgat, Sivas, Malatya, Kayseri, Nevşehir, Kırşehir, Niğde, Aksaray and some of the provinces of Amasya, Tokat, Kahramanmaraş, Adıyaman, Adana and Konya were included.
Cappadocia region is a place where nature and history are integrated. While geographical events constituted the Fairy Chimneys, in the historical process, people carved houses and churches into these fairy chimneys, decorating them with frescoes and carried the traces of thousands of years of civilization to the present day. The written history of Cappadocia, where human settlements date back to the Paleolithic period, begins with the Hittites. Cappadocia, which has hosted trade colonies throughout history and established a commercial and social bridge between countries, is one of the important crossroads of the Silk Road.
Cappadocia Beyond Dreams Fairy Chimneys
Cappadocia, a refuge for the early Christians, is an open-air museum full of unequal natural and cultural elements.
The Cappadocia region is located in the middle of the once active volcanic region of Central Anatolia. Three of the mountains millions of years ago – Erciyes, Hasandağ and Güllüdağ – were active volcanoes; in fact, this activity continued intermittently, at least until the Neolithic period, according to prehistoric tables.
Volcanic eruptions were so strong that in some places the lava was up to 150 m thick. For millions of years, volcanoes, wind, rain and ice have shaped the region we now know as Cappadocia. While the landscape was eroding, basalt stones remained, and some formed conical structures that reached up to 45 meters.
Locals have expressed these unique rock formations “fairy chimneys”, a name that has been going on for ages. If nature were the first artist to organize the décor, he was the Anatolian man who carved the rocks and built houses, churches and more than 250 underground cities for centuries.
What is the Feature of Cappadocia?
Cappadocia is known for its Fairy Chimneys, which is a wonder of nature. Since it has hosted different societies for thousands of years apart from its natural beauties, it attracts attention with its historical and artistic structures such as rock houses, underground cities, churches, hospitals carved into the fairy chimneys. The region has developed as an important trade and cultural center throughout the history of humanity.
CAPPADOCİA ATTRACTİONS
- Goreme
Güllüdere Valley; Located between Çavuşin and Göreme, Güllüdere Valley is a region where many churches, monasteries and living area ruins are found. Güllüdere, which is in demand as the trekking track where the fairy chimney formations can be best watched, is an area that is about 4 kilometers long and can only be reached on foot. The Three Crusader Church and Ayvalı Church should be seen.
Güvercinlik Valley; Güvercinlik Valley, which is a 4100-meter trekking valley extending from Uçhisar to Göreme in Cappadocia, where pigeons are densely named, takes its name from pigeons that are fed in nests called pigeons carved in the valleys. It is a nice place to watch pigeons and enjoy the view.
Zemi Valley; The Zemi Valley, located on the Urgup-Nevsehir Road and stretching in the north-south direction to the east of Uchisar, is located between the Göreme-Open Air Museum. The 5600-meter valley between the beginning of the valley and Göreme is one of the important trails suitable for trekking. Sarnıç Church, Saklı Church, Görkündere Church and El Nazar Church are also places to visit in the valley.
Love Valley; Also known as the Bağdere Valley, it is 4900 meters long, starting from Örencik on the Göreme-Uçhisar road and ending on the Göreme-Avanos road. The valley, where the balloon tours surely depend on the weather conditions, is also suitable for walking among the places to visit in Cappadocia.
Sunset Point ; is one of the most special regions of Cappadocia to watch the sunset in Göreme. Cappadocia takes a red picture at sunset hours. Go here to end the day with a beautiful view.
- Uchisar
Uçhisar, the highest point of Cappadocia, is located 5 km from the city center. The town, which is built on the hill where the most beautiful panoramic view of the entire Cappadocia region is made, is also known as the gate of Cappadocia.
- Avanos
Pasabaglari
Cappadocia is one of the most important places to visit in Cappadocia, which is very close to Zelve on the Göreme-Avanos road and known as Paşabağ Priests Valley. It is a valley where interesting examples of fairy chimney formations with hats can be seen.
Devrent Valley
Devrent Valley, also known as Hayal Valley or Perili Valley, is located in Avanos. While one end of the valley, which has a U-shaped structure, is Dervent, the other end leads to Kızılçukur. The middle section is called Zelve and Paşabağı. The fairy chimneys in the valley, which is only 10 minutes away from Göreme, form silhouettes that can be compared to many animal and human forms.
- Urgup
Wish Hill
There are two important tombs from the Ottoman period on the Temenni Hill, where the monumental tomb was built by Vecihi Pasha for Kılıçaslan in 1288. The cupola located in the middle of the hill was previously used as Ürgüp Tahsinağa Public Library.
- Ihlara Valley
It is known that the first settlement in Ihlara Valley, formerly known as Peristremma, started in the 4th century. Thanks to the unique geological feature of the region by creating a canyon of Melendiz Stream, which is 14 kilometers long and 100-200 meters deep, the frescoed churches carved into the rocks have survived to the present day as a treasure trove on earth. The valley, which is one of the first places that come to mind when talking about Cappadocia, is located in the Güzelyurt District of Aksaray, Ihlara Town and northeast of Hasan Mountain.
