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.
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Rose Valley is easy to access from Goreme and provides an opportunity to walk through a truly spectacular area. The only drawback is the occasional convoy of noisy and smelly ATV's that come through.
It is the second deepest valley next to The Grand Canyon.
The extraordinary cave excavations protected within the Open Air Museum simply must not be missed during a visit to Cappadoccia.
We went to this open-air museum not knowing what to expect. It was fabulous! Being able to walk around the ruins and into caves dug by ancient civilizations was incredible. We went in the off-season, so the crowds were minimal, but I understand it can get quite hectic when more people are there. There was an extra charge for the…
Petra in Jordan is famous: of course! but how about Capadocia? it is amazingly beautiful! what a history, what a beauty!
a landscape like you'll never see again, very interesting, seeing the eyes gouged out on the icons was disturbing
We arrived at the museum at 7.00 as advised by our hotel manager and over guests. It soon became evident that this was the best time to come because it was tour-free and nice and cool. We went in late July by the way. My family and I very much enjoyed wandering through the various churches. But were absoutely gobsmacked…
We did not want a guide at the beginning, but ended up taking one. Really worth it. We really understood many things about these underground cities. 8 stories down… amazing… worth visiting… if you are not affraid of walking through tiny tunnels underground.
This is an interesting site with churches in caves with frescos painted on the walls. Some churches are undergoing restorations. It would have been excellent if it is not the swarms of people in each pitstop. The rooms are small so if you try to see the rooms with 20-30 people you have to wait in line. There is also…
I didn't LOVE Goreme Open-Air Museum but I did find it very interesting. The history behind the area is most fascinating and seeing the ancient writing and drawings on the walls was also pretty cool but I didn't fall in love with the views like I did in other places in Cappadocia!