Cappadocia

Only three and a half hours from Ankara by road, Cappadocia is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Turkey. A fantasy land of fairy chimneys and churches cut out of soft rock formations rising up in cone-like protrusions, the region was a Roman province and the refuge of persecuted Christians during the early days of the Roman Empire. Cappadocia is well known for its rock churches that date to the period of the persecution and for its underground cities, amazingly intricate systems of tunnels cut into mountains of rock.

The uniqueness of the region was formed by the eruption of Mt. Erciyes (ancient Mt. Argaeus) and Mt. Hasan some 60 million years ago, which spread a thick layer of ash over the area. This hardened into a soft porous stone called tufa. During the following centuries, erosion from rain and wind created valleys in the soft rock that left behind higher sections of interesting formations called “fairy chimneys”. The land is surprisingly fertile. Farmers plant various vegetables and trees. Also, winery is an important industry in the region. People still live in rock carved dwellings as they lived centuries ago, which is cool in summer and warm in winter.

The Cappadocia area was ruled by a series of small, independent states, under priest-kings as early as the 6th century B.C. Herodotus mentions it as the region between Phrygia and Cilicia in the 5th century B.C. Xenophon mentions people living underground in his book Anabasis although the earliest residents are unknown. In 17 A.D. Tiberius made the region a Roman Province. It became a sanctuary for Christians who hid in the existing underground cities and made their own mark by carving several thousand churches and monasteries. When the Arabs started their raids in the 7th and 8th centuries, they again went underground and continued carving elaborate cities.

Cappadocia has so much to offer in terms of nature, history, and culture, that a visitor should plan for at least three days to fully appreciate the area. Urgup, a growing small town with shops, restaurants, and quaint hotels, is a good central location to stay during your visit of Cappadocia.

Sites

• Goreme (Open Air Museum) is one of the earliest settlements in the area. Over 30 of the best-preserved churches of Cappadocia can be seen here. Most churches date from the 9th to 11th centuries and bear good examples of Byzantine mural paintings.
• Uchisar is a fortress-type settlement hewn into a high outcrop of rock. The view of the Cappadocian landscape from this location is truly unique.
• Zelve is a valley settlement known to be the first place to hold monastic seminars. In Zelve, you will see many red-cone-capped dwellings and chapels from various periods.
• In Avanos (Venessa) the pottery making tradition goes back to the Roman days. The red clay used in the pottery industry is taken out of the Red River banks nearby. According to Strabo, there was a temple here dedicated to Zeus.
• Soganli Valley is one of the most attractive areas in the region. It is estimated that there were about 150 churches here. A leisurely day of walking in the valley will reveal many great examples of unique rock cut churches decorated with murals.
• The Underground City of Kaymakli was cut out of volcanic tufa as deep as 300 feet during the period covering the 6th to the 10th centuries. It is possible to descend through seven floor levels of the city by means of a labyrinth of tunnels.
• The Underground City of Derinkuyu is estimated to have twenty floors, although only eight can be visited today, with an estimated capacity to hold 20,000 people.
• South of Urgup is the town of Nidge, where one can visit Nigde Citadel, built around 1230 during the reign of Sultan Alaeddin Keykubat, and Eskigumus Monastery, a rock cut church complex with the best-preserved frescoes in Cappadocia.
• Southwest of Urgup, near the town of Aksaray, is the remote Ihlara Valley. Approximately 6 miles long and 75 yards wide, the gorge is filled with churches from the 11th century.

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