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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We went by horseback (The Dalton Brothers). Though it rained, this was by far the best way to experience this lovely valley. The valley is truly rose in color and a bit reminiscent of Arizona.
Take at least three days if you can. The highlight was an early morning balloon ride. Not sure there is anything like it elsewhere.
IT's a small area but the geological structures are very unique. There is a pathway that you can follow to explore the area, which took us roughly 15-20 minutes. And unlike Zelve, it's free for all.
From surface, it looks like normal sand dune area. But once you are inside, it looks like a habitat of someone living underground. There are proper underground tunnels hosting many families during the Roman occupations, complete with stone doors, like a hide-out sanctuary. The interesting part of this underground city is its ventilation system. Smoke from cooking can disperse out…
There is no way to get around the fact that seeing the sites near Goreme requires a LOT of walking and stairs. With that said I have to admit I skipped some of the most spectacular churches here.
The rule is that each group gets 3 min in the smaller churches. so there can be a lot of waiting if…
I have never been before or since anywhere quite like it. I had been told about Cappadocia by friends and thought it sounded amazing. I travelled overnight by bus and arrived in thick snow, i thought it would be a small area with a afternoon walk around, had no idea the scale of the place, 3 days was not nearly…
The cave dwellings in Cappadocia are amazing. The fact that the Turks have preserved not only the caves, but the murals from the Christians of that times is remarkable.
We visited the Open Air Museum, it was very interesting but would have been better had the audio guides been more informative. The walk to Gorome centre is manageable from the museum but take a hat and sunscreen as it is quite warm walking in the sun. The highlight for us was in the cafe/gift shop. Visitors were being persuaded…
Deepest, and I would say broader than Kaymakli, nice example of undergroudn city. It's origins date from Hetits (2000 BC)
We had the opportunity to have a wedding on this stop, so everywhere was decorated with the magic turquish eyes, the views and panorama are fantastic, enjoy a cup of apple tea and relax, relax and relax