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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's about 20 km from Goreme and not so hard to get there. If you are in Cappadocia don't miss this place. It's really interesting place. We had no guide and I think we miss some information because of There is no information available inside of the place.
This is the closest attraction in Goreme — you may gete there just walking. It's interesting, big, with many areas to explore. Probably it's better with a guide so you'll learn about the many churches you'll find. It usually crowded and some areas (usually churches) have controlled entrance so try to get there early.
The weather is very dry and hot! It would be great if there was a river or something like that, but it just don't matter, the place is amazing.
We totally didn't anticipate how huge or awesome this place would be. It's got tons to see and it is a really neat experience. Another thing we didn't realize was how far out of town it is, so if you're not up for a 2 km walk, take a bus or taxi.
Do not rely on signs painted on rocks for direction. Try having an as good a map as available and visit churches along the way.
This was a lovely open-air museum, although beyond viewing multiple churches, there's little else to draw one in. We had a beautiful day for our visit, which was certainly helpful in ensuring we left with a positive opinion! By the time we arrived at this location, we'd viewed so many churches that I think we were somewhat "churched" out -…
Interesting underground city along with a bit of history attached to them. Also the above-ground cave dwellings were fun.
What a fantastic sight to behold. The view is amazing and quite spectacular!! Photos galore!! Good camera recommended.
Nice hike. Very different than other parts of Cappadocia. Takes a couple of hours but the scenry is nice, some interesting caves along the way and a wonderful riverside restaurant half way along.
The Open Air Museum is definitely worth a look. Pay the extra 8TL and see the Dark Church – the frescoes in here are excellent (no photos – bugger!). My husband and I went at 5pm and there were hardly any tourists there (we actually had the Dark Church and Buckle Churches to ourselves, which was nice). We also paid…