The Turkish region of Cappadocia, a region of exceptional natural wonders, in particular characterized by fairy chimneys and a unique historical and cultural heritage, boasts one of the most dramatic sights in the world.
Visiting Cappadocia is such a change from visiting many other busy bustling sights all over Turkey. It is a great pleasure to wander in the vast open space filled with captivating natural attractions which have seen human history dated back in the Bronze Age.
While in Goreme Open Air Museum , the conical formations resulting from the volcanic eruptions that took place millions of years ago, just follow the path up to the top of one of the ridges where a spectacular view of the fairy chimneys awaits you. The natural cone formations contain caves and labyrinths. As early as the third century, those chimneys became a hiding place for early Christians who fled persecution from the Romans, and then later from raiding Muslims. In modern tourism, many caves have been turned into cave houses for tourist stays and the lunar-like setting of Goreme Valley has become popular for hot-air ballooning.
Many say the extremely unique landscape of Cappadocia resembles some scene in a Star Wars movie and yet you may be surprised to discover that no major commercial movies have been filmed there. It would be a perfect setting for movies such as Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter series.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
My favorite thing about Cappadocia was the bookstore that had a million used books from all the backpackers that had come through, all sorted by language, as well as quality. There was a section for “fiction” and another for “literature,” which only included books that didn’t suck. It was great.
Make sure you start in Uchisar and go down to Goreme or it wil be quite the hike. Lovely valley with lots to see but good clearly marked trails
Some of the carved-out cathedrals are fairly intricate. I would highly recommend visiting Cappadocia. This site is extremely well-preserved. These underground caves would be especially interesting for older children to visit, as it might spark their interest in history and the habits of people from the past.
A beautiful walk that only takes a couple of hours. There is one point where you have to climb up the mountain and back down as the valley is dangerous, but if you are lucky there is a guide and you can just give him a few liras and he will show you the way. The scenery is stunning.
It's well worth the trip. Make sure you bring a hat and sunglasses as well as water because it's hot in the summer! Pay the extra money to see the dark church! Rent the headset, or go wtih a guide to get the most of the experience.
The open air musiem is best visited early morning before the group of tourists arrive or late afternoon due to the scorching heat during summers.
The churches and the images are worth the walk and beautiful. The whole site is amazing in the way it has been made and the impact it leaves on you when you first set your…
If someone wants to witness Christianity's early days, this complex of churches and monasteries is the place to go.
Full of carved-in-the-rocks early Christian Churches (8th-9th century BC most of them), quite well preserved and with good signposting and information, this open-air-museum is great.
We did the evening trek in the Rose Valley and I think it was one of the most enjoyable trips in Cappadocia for me personally.
It takes 3 hours at most, but its so worth it, to traipse through the valley among the fairy chimneys, peep into the now empty cave dwellings and then grab a cup of apple tea…
"Open air museum" is not often a term used in places in the west and we didn't know what to expect. The place is actually a giant complex of rooms and caves carved into rock as a part of an early Christian monastic complex.
There's a lot of ground to cover and you can visit with a tour or do…
This is one of many underground cities built by the Christians to avoid persecution. It is possible to climb down 4 or 5 levels and see the living area for 600 people with kitchens, bedrooms, wine cellars & air shafts. There is also a church. The visit includes walking down stairs & through tunnels that get progressively smaller as you…