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A natural wonder that you will hardly find anywhere else in the world.
Cappadocia is the most beautiful natural beauty in the world. At the end of the article, we leave it to your discretion how many days you need to spend to visit Cappadocia.Before I start to tell you about the natural beauties of Cappadocia, I would like to give you information about the location of Cappadocia.
The Cappadocia region is located in the geography between Kayseri, Nevşehir and Aksarayils of Turkey today. It is located in the very center of Turkey and in the Central Anatolia region.Ankara, the capital of Turkey, is a 3-hour drive away. Istanbul can be reached with an approximate 10-hour drive. To reach the Cappadocia region by plane, you can use the scheduled flights to Kayseri airport or Nevşehir airport. Cappadocia is a 1-hour drive from both airports.You can reach the Cappadocia region by buses to Nevşehir, which departs from Istanbul and Ankara.
For airport transfer for Cappadocia, click on the Cappadocia Airport Transfer Service
As a result of the eruption of the volcanic mountains around Cappadocia for millions of years, the tuff and lava that spread around created a separate surface layer by layer in the Cappadocia region.These formed surfaces began to take shape with natural disasters such as rain and wind. Because these formed shapes resemble chimneys and the sound of wind heard in winter is likened to the sound of fairy, the people living in the region called them fairy chimneys.
The first place that comes to mind when you are called Cappadocia is, without a doubt, Göreme. Göreme is one of the most beautiful places in Cappadocia. Most of the rock churches are located around Göreme. In addition, most of the cave hotels are generally located around Göreme. In these cave hotels, you can watch the flights of hot balloons in the morning. it will be a great experience. For this reason, you should definitely consider the Göreme region as a Cappadocia accommodation.In addition, the most ideal place to participate in activities in Cappadocia is the Göreme region.Also, the martyr Heiron, who is an important saint for Christians, was born in Göreme.
Göreme open air museum is the most visited museum in Cappadocia.Göreme open air museum is the most visited museum in Cappadocia. In this museum, you will be able to visit the rock-cut churches of the Cappadocia region. You will also be able to see the frescoes in these churches where scenes from the Bible are depicted.Since there are hundreds of people who want to see these churches, they enter the churches in groups and each group stops for a maximum of 3 minutes.In addition, professional guide narration is prohibited in churches.
When you first enter the museum, the six-storey natural formation on your left was used as the living space of the monks and nuns working in the monastery in this region.The first floor of this formation was used as a dining hall and storage and living rooms. The other floors of the formation were used as chapels or churches.
The first place you will see when you enter the Göreme open-air museum is the St. Basileus Chapel, which dates back to the 11th century.When you enter this chapel, you will be able to see the fresco of saint Goerghe killing a snake with a spear in his hand. In addition, this chapel was used as the burial ground of monks and nuns who lived in the monastery.There are three Maltese crosses in this chapel. they are thought to represent the Father, the son and the holy spirit.In the apse of the chapel, the description of the Virgin Mary, the child Jesus and the person who built this chapel at their feet can be seen,
The church where you can see the most beautiful frescoes of Göreme open air museum is Elmalı Church. Since the globe held by Gabriel in this church is likened to an apple, he gave the name of apple to this church. in the apple church with four domes and three apses, You can see the depictions of deesis Last Judgement, the birth of Jesus, the worship of the three astrologers, the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, the resurrection of Jesus Lazarus, the metamorphosis, the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, the last supper of Jesus, the betrayal, the Prophet . Jesus on the way to Calvary, Hz. Jesus on the cross, St. The burial of Jesus Jesus' descent to hell and saving Hz Adam and Hz Eve, women at the empty tomb, Jesus' ascension and saints, which are important for Christians. In addition, the hospitality of the Prophet Abraham and the burning of three Jewish youths in the oven are depicted.
After a one-minute walk from Apple Church, you arrive at St. Barbara's Church. After seeing very beautiful frescoes in Apple Church, you may be disappointed with what you will see in St. Barbara's Church.In this church, you can only see the patterns made in red brick color.In this church, you can see a cockroach ornament stuck in the middle of two crosses. cockroach, the devil is depicted. and the devil are depicted in two crosses, preventing the devil's function.Under this cockroach are the most famous depictions of Cappadocia, Saint Goerghe and Saint Theodore fighting the dragon.Under this cockroach are the most famous depictions of Cappadocia, Saint Goerghe and Saint Theodore fighting the dragon. On the right side of the church, you can see the depiction of Jesus, the pankrator.On the left side of the church, there is a depiction of St. Barbara, who gave the church its name.
The serpent church was a church built in the 11th century. Like other churches in Cappadocia, the serpent church got its name from the frescoes in it. When you enter the church with the serpent, the first fresco on the left belongs to the saint Onesimus. Next to Saint Onesimus, St. Goerghe and St. Theodoros are shown on their horses in the fresco on the left wall. The saints kill the snake in front of their horses with the spears in their hands.,right next to this fresco, the Roman emperor Constantine and his mother Helena, who are important in Christianity, are shown holding a cross in their hands. In the apse of the church, there is the Prophet Jesus, who holds the holy book in her hand, and the person who built this church.Cappadocia metropolitan St. Basil is shown with the book he wrote in his hand on the right wall after the entrance of the church. Right next to St. Basil, there is a fresco of St. Thomas, an important priest from Cappadocia. Right next to St. Thomas, St. Onuphrius is seen with long hair, big breasts, and a palm tree in front of her.
The magnificent frescoes you will see in the dark church, which is the place you can visit as an extra in Cappadocia Goreme really is awesome.Thanks to the location of the church, sunlight can enter the church in a limited way. In this way, the frescoes inside the church look very new, as if they were made yesterday, even though they are dated to the twelfth century.Pigeon droppings found in this church show us that Turks kept pigeons in these cave-like places. The frescoes of this church were preserved thanks to the protective properties of pigeon manure.On the frescoes in the dark church, the life of Jesus as well as the events mentioned in the Torah are depicted. Thanks to these frescoes, illiterate people have also been provided with a very good understanding of Christianity.
Some frescos you can see in the dark church:
The church, which has very beautiful frescoes like the dark church in Göreme open-air museum and whose entrance is free, is the Church.with Sandal. But every good thing has a flaw. To enter this church, you have to go up forty steps with an iron staircase.so this church is generally not in demand by visitors.If there is no physical problem in our body, we recommend that you add this church to your route while visiting the open-air museum.The name of this church, as in other churches, comes from the details on the church frescoes. In the final judgment scene, because the shoes on Jesus' feet were compared to sandals, this church was called the church with sandals among the people.But it is said among the researchers that this church was dedicated to the Archangel Gabriel because there is the archangel Gabriel on its dome.
Some frescos you can see in the Church with Sandal :
Jesus' resurrection of Lazarus one of Miracles od Jesus Christ
Although the Tokalı Church is a part of the Göreme Museum, people who visit this Göreme museum generally do not have much energy to visit the Tokalı Church after so many churches they have seen in the museum. For this reason, they cancel the visit to the Buckle church. But the Buckle Church is the church with the most frescoes in Göreme Museum. Therefore, if you do not visit this place, you will miss many details about the Cappadocia church frescoes.Buckled church has two parts, old and new.When you enter the buckled church, the first part you see is the narthex. The section after the narthex is the old Section of the Church. The old part of the church was built in the Syrian-Palestinian architectural style and dates back to 920. these scenes are staged as they are put on the film strip, you can understand these scenes with the narration of a well-know tourist guide.
The scenes to be seen in the old part of the Tokalı Church are as follows:
The new buckled church section was built by excavating the metamorphosis scene.Phocas, a military family from Cappadocia, sponsored the new buckled church. The frescoes of this family can be seen in the new buckled church. Phocas became emperor of Rome. Therefore, this new buckled church is recognized as the emperor's church.Therefore, the materials used in the new buckled church are very valuable materials such as silver and gold.The new buckled church is the Sistine Chapel of Cappadocia.
Scenes you can see in the frescoes in the new buckled church
el Nazar Church
Secret Chuhrch
Avcılar valley and Fairy chimneys
Avanos, which was established next to the Red River, makes a living by making ceramics and pottery with the mud that the Kızılırmak gift to the region.Avanos, which was established next to the Red River, makes a living by making ceramics and pottery with the mud that the Kızılırmak gift to the region. He has been continuing his ceramic art in Avanos since the Hittites period. There are masters who have become famous in this ceramic industry in Avanos. The most famous of these is the master Chez Galip, who collects a piece of the hair of the guests visiting his workshop. In addition, another famous workshop in the region belongs to the Güray Family. You should leave Avanos without visiting the Pottery Museum in this family's shop.Of course, these pots not only decorate the houses artistically, but also contribute a lot to the cuisine of the region. Meat cooked in pots is very tasty. You must eat pottery kebab when you are in Avanos. We are sure you will like it.Another activity to do in Avanos is to wander around the Red River. The swinging bridge over the Red River is also interesting.We can also take a gondola tour or jetboat tour on the Red River.
The name of the Red River in the ancient world is halys. Since people looked at themselves in this river, the word hallucination, which is a medical term today, is derived from the red river.
With the increase in tourism in Avanos, some creative ideas started to emerge. For example, water activities such as the Red River gondola tour are carried out in Kızılırmak. If you are interested in water activities, you can join the activities in red river , the most important water source of the Cappadocia region.
Hacıbektaş Veli
While some of the lavas covering all over Cappadocia were shaped like Mushrooms by natural factors, some of them were able to remain more robust to natural factors such as rain and wind. Since the appearance of the surviving areas is like a castle in terms of local people, they are called castles. These castles in Cappadocia were named uchisar and Ortahisar. Ortahisar surroundings, while still preserving its old appearance. Uçhisar has become the place where luxury cave hotels are located, with tourism being a source of income for Cappadocia.Ortahisar and Uchisar are visited as museums today. When you go to the top of Uchisar or Ortahisar, you can observe all the valleys of Cappadocia.
Orta Hisar
Pigeon Valley
Ortahisar Churches
Pancarlı Church Saint Theodoros Church
If you want to have breakfast while the balloons are flying above you when you wake up in the morning. We recommend you the cave hotels in Cavusin. Although it is very close to Göreme, Cavusin is a non-touristic place like Göreme. You may also find it interesting to visit some of the cave churches in Çavuşin. if you are lucky. It is very enjoyable to watch the villagers living in Çavuşin make molasses. It's also very interesting to see the villagers in the Çavuşin add white soil to sweeten the molasses.
Saint Hieron is one of the soldier saints. Like other soldier saints, Hieron was accepted as a saint after his martyrdom. After Saint Hieron was martyred, his bones were brought to the Sergeant's Church. For this reason, the Cavusin Church was constantly visited as a center of cross during the Byzantine period.Since Saint Hiero's rank was sergeant, this region was called sergeant, meaning the place of sergeant in Turkish.
Pasabag valley, called the valley of the priests, is one of the places with the most beautiful fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. You can dream among fairy chimneys from this very quiet and calm place. Some liken the fairy chimneys here to the male genitalia, while others liken it to the house of the smurfs. Now it's up to your imagination.While you could visit this valley free of charge in the past, with the decision taken in recent years, this place has been converted into a museum and it can be visited with a museum ticket.
Every corner of Cappadocia is a different beauty. The area of the Zelve Archaeological Open Air Museum, which is very close to Paşabağ, was a village with a life until 1950. In 1950, the people living here were transferred to other places and the zelve was turned into an open-air museum. And now it is protected by UNESCO.TheTurkish villagers give the name Zelve to the wooden tool they use to tie the oxen together.Probably the name of this place came from the tool used by the Villagers. According to another information I have heard but am not sure about, zelve is the name given to the saddles of camels. It is said that camel caravans making long journeys spend their nights in this area.When you enter the Zelve open air museum, you will feel like a character in an indiana jones movie. it really is like an indiana jones movie where adventure and history go together. In the Zelve valley, you can visit the places where people lived in the village time, the mosques, natural stone flour mill, as well as the churches with fish, grapes and deer, which date back to the 9th and 11th centuries.Church with fish is dedicated to the Syrian Saint Simeon. Saint Simeon lived on a column for a period of his life.and this saint simeon is considered to have lived in the zelve valley or Paşabag valley in Cappadocia for a period in the 5th century.
Cappadocia people are creative people. They organize mapping shows at night in Zelve valley, just as they invented the gondola tour in red. If you are someone who likes to watch mapping shows. I can guarantee your love for Zelve mapping show
There are many valleys in Cappadocia. The most beautiful and most visited of these valleys is undoubtedly the camel valley. This name was given because a formation found in this valley resembles a camel.The other formations found in this valley are likened to the statue of Napoleon, the gorilla and the Virgin Mary in Ephesus.
In order to further increase the trade in Anatolia, the Seljuk emperors had many accommodation places built. You can see a caravanserai every 30 kilometers. The closest Caravanserai to Cappadocia is Sarihan Caravanserai, which is five kilometers from Avanos . We recommend those who want to visit a different place in Cappadocia other than the natural formation and the church, to visit Sarıhan Caravanserai.Sarıhan Caravanserai was built in 1249 by the order of the 2nd Izzettin Keykavus.
There are tombs resembling a hill at many points of the Anatolian Anatolia. The most famous tumulus tomb in Anatolia is the tumulus on top of Nemrut mountain in Adıyaman province. But when you look at the top of every hill in the Cappadocia region, a woman's breast appears in a different color like one.
the hill is more visible. Actually, this hill, which is different in color, is a tomb. Anatolian kings, who adored Egyptian pharaohs, built their own tombs, like the Egyptian pyramids.The most famous tumulus in the Cappadocia region is the Çeç Tumulus located on the way from Avanos to Özkonak. If you want to see different places in Cappadocia. I suggest you add Çeç tumulus to your Cappadocia tour program.
The Tumulus of Chech immediately draws attention, this image turns into a very beautiful silhouette at sunset. If you take a photo of the northern wool and rotate that photo 90 degrees to the right, you will see the picture of the King of Cappadocia, according to rumors. The tumulus, which is the subject of many Cappadocia stories, still preserves its mystery since no scientific research has been done so far.
The tumulus, with a perimeter of 350 meters and a height of 30-35 meters, was made of broken masonry. It is not known whether the Çeç Tumulus is a tomb belonging to one of the Kings of Cappadocia or just a cult site, but at first glance it is seen that the conical tumulus is the remains of a staircase leading up to the hill in the west direction, and the top can only be reached from here.
Unfortunately, the top area of the tumulus was plundered by illegal treasure seekers, and even explosives were used in this plunder. Like many mysterious corners of Cappadocia, the historical process of the Çeç Tumulus will be illuminated and even brought into tourism with a serious research and excavation work. Unfortunately; There is still no way and no exit, the broken limestones used in its construction make the steep climb even more difficult and dangerous. this articles taken by Mustafa Taşkın thank you
Austrian sculptor Andrew Rogers, famous for his sculptures that can be seen in space to many parts of the world, made his works in Karadağ in Cappadocia Avanos.You can see the sculptures called "horse, Cybele statue, seten stone (duven stone), angel-faced bird, tree of life, double-bodied single-headed lion, stone age and first temple" while exploring Cappadocia with google earth.
It is a very interesting place underground like the earth of Cappadocia.There are many underground cities in the Cappadocia region. We have listed them for you below.There is no underground city close to the hotels area of Cappadocia. Maybe there is, but it hasn't been discovered yet. :)so if you want to visit the Underground city. or you can go there with your own personal vehicle. Or you should join the tours organized in the Cappadocia region, called the Cappadocia Green Tour. If you say I want to go to the underground city by public transportation. You can go to Cappadocia by minibus from Ürgüp or Avanos.
Now let's answer the question "why did these people want to build Cappadocia underground city?" It is still unknown how large the size of the underground cities, which were built to accommodate about 50,000 people, is still unknown.With the archeological studies, it went down to 60 meters underground. Excavations deeper than 60 meters would cause damage to the underground city, so the excavations stopped.The biggest reason for such a large city to be built underground is thought to be the presence of a large wildlife or enemy outside.In the place where approximately 50,000 people live, ventilation shafts have been opened to meet the fresh air needs of these people. And also there are water wells under the ground.In order to better understand the human life in the underground ancient city, our advice to you is to find an anthill and observe it.
Urgup is one of the most visited places in Cappadocia, such as Göreme and Avanos. Also, Urgup is the habitat for most locals. Besides, most of the Cappadocia cave hotels and modern hotels are located in Urgup Region.Many Turkish TV series such as Asmalı Konak were shot in Urgup.Many Turkish TV series such as Asmalı Konak were shot in Urgup. People who are in love with Turkish TV series always add Urgup to their Cappadocia travel routes.In addition, there are well-established family companies in Urgup where you can taste the very nice Cappadocia region wines.
You can see the three beauties in the life of mythology and archeology, many museums and ancient cities. You will see the three beauties created by nature only in Urgup, Cappadocia. The three natural formations, located very close to Urgup, were named by the local people as the Three Beauties.
Mustafapasa village, 6 kilometers from Urgup, is truly fascinating with its natural appearance. The subject of the TV series we mentioned above also appears in Mustafapasada. A few Turkish TV series were shot in cave hotels in Mustafapaşa. For this reason, the most beautiful cave hotels of Cappadocia are located in Mustafapaşa.In some cave hotels in Mustafapaşa, it is performed at night in the Sema show.The old name of Mustafapaşa is Sinasos.Sinasos, which was generally the area where the Greek Turk population lived in the Byzantine Ottoman period, was used instead of the old name Mustafa Pasha to thank the Ottoman Pasha who built fountains here as a solution to the water problem.According to the Lausanne Peace Treaty signed after the First World War, when the population was exchanged between Turks and Greece, the population of Mustafapaşa started to decrease.Thanks to the tourism and Turkish TV series industry, the name of Mustafa Pasha is spreading day by day.
The other beautiful valley of Cappadocia is Gomede Valley. But it is not a very visited valley like the camel valley. If you want to take a walk alone in a valley in Cappadocia, Gomede Valley is for you. The other way to go to gomede valley is to join the cappadocia jeep safari. Because gomede valley is the most preferred place in jeep safari routes in Cappadocia.The local people living around the Gömede valley call this valley the valley of the jinn. You can also visit the rock churches and the underground city in the Gomede valley.The local people living around the Gömede valley call this valley the valley of the jinn. In addition, like the other valleys of Cappadocia, the Rock churches and underground city can be visited in the Gomede valley. In the Cappadocia region, the Gomede Valley is also called the Little Ihlara Valley. The Gomede Valley was formed by a river like the Ihlara Valley. But this river has dried up today.
Taşkınpaşa village is located in Damsa Valley. therefore the second island of this village is damsa. Commander Taşhun Pasha, who lived in the 13th century during the Seljuk Empire, lived in this region. and he had a mosque, madrasah and his own tomb built in the region. Especially the decorations of the door of the madrasah are wonderful. The mihrab and pulpit of the mosque made of walnut are currently exhibited in the ethnography museum of Ankara.
Şahinefendi village is the village established next to fairy chimneys such as Göreme and Çavuşin. Some fairy chimneys were built here as churches. The most famous of these churches is named after 40 martyrs who were killed by Roman soldiers in the city of Sivas. The other church was named Baş Belek Mikail. In addition, a part of the royal road built by the Persians passes through Şahinefendi village. Another important place in Şahinefendi village is Sobesos Ancient City. The floor mosaics with cross and meandros patterns found in the ancient city of Sobesos, which were found by chance, are really beautiful.
Due to the excessive demand for the hot air balloon in Göreme, hot air balloon tours have started to be made in the Soğanlı region of Cappadocia in recent years. In this way, tourism activities started to increase gradually in the Soğanlı region, which is far from the touristic region of Cappadocia. In the Soğanlı region, fairy chimneys like Göreme and rock carved.The most famous thing in Soğanlı is the handmade dolls made by the villagers.
Karabaş means black head in Turkish. This name was given by the local people because the heads of the frescoes in this church were painted black.Karabas Church was built in the 6th century. The church carries the characteristic features of the Roman period. The church and its walls were rebuilt in the 11th and 13th centuries. It was originally decorated with simple lines and motifs. The frescoes were made with ocher paint in the 11th century. After the discovery of oil paint, oil paints were used instead of earth paints. This church is the largest and most beautiful church in Soganlı in terms of artistic value. The church consists of four parts. Compositions such as the birth of the Prophet Jesus, his baptism, his drying with a towel, his religious struggles, his crucifixion and Saint Jean's struggle with the monster, pictures of 12 apostles and other saints,
Domes were formed by the very good processing of the chimney, and the side faces were processed by making them jointed like a coated stone. The church shows an advanced architectural feature with its vaults, domes and apses. The basilica type church has three naves and three apses. The church is dated to the beginning of the 10th century.
Scenes:
Looking at the domed church from afar, it can be compared to European castles.
It is located at the end of the valley extending from the Soğanlı Village to the west. It has a single nave, a single apse and a barrel vault. The church of St. Barbara, dated to the beginning of the 10th century, draws attention with its many saint depictions.
Scenes: Appearance of Apsistek Prophets, Deesis on the north wall, Annunciation in the vault, Visit, Proof of Virginity, Journey to Bethlehem, Birth, Jesus' descent into hell. Depictions of the seven sleepers and saints
Cappadocia interestingness never ends. While most regions of Cappadocia see dry soil valleys, there is a lush valley with the stream giving life to the soil in an area 80 away from the Cappadocia Hotels area. Because of the color of this valley, the north of Cappadocia is called the red zone, while this region is called the green zone. That's why daily tours to this region are called Cappadocia green tour. This valley is called Ihlara Valley.Ihlara valley has two entrances. One entrance descends with 380 steps. The other entrance is located in the village of bellisırma. As it would be a hassle to go up 380 steps in general, the valley is reached after the visitors enter from the Ihlara and finish 380 steps. The valley of about 5 kilometers can be visited on foot. During this walk, you can visit churches as in Göreme. There are shabby cafeterias in Ihlara Valley. But our advice to you is to take care of your needs such as toilet and water before going down to the valley. It can take the whole day to visit the entire Ihlara valley. But As part of the Cappadocia green tour, we spend 2 hours in the Ihlara Valley.As part of the Cappadocia green tour, we spend 2 hours in the Ihlara Valley. At the end of a beautiful two-hour nature walk, you can arrive at Belli Sırma village and have lunch at the restaurants next to the Melendiz river. You can cool off by soaking your feet in the melendiz river.The water of the Melendiz river is ice cold even in the hottest part of the summer.
Attention
Ihlara valley can be closed in winter due to the danger of big rocks falling due to heavy wind and rain. If you are going to visit the Ihlara Valley in winter, you should recommend checking whether the Valley is open to visitors.
As an alternative to the hot air balloon in Göreme, hot air balloon tours are organized in the Ihlara valley, just like in Soğanlı. Traveling with a balloon in the Ihlara valley is truly an amazing experience.
Churches to be seen during the Ihlara Valley tour
BelliSırma village
Selime kathedrali
Cappadocia Guzelyurt Churches
Bucak Church
Saint Gregory Church
Interconnected Underground City
Ruck mosque
Saint Mamas Monestery
Valley of monestery
Red Churches
Aksaray
Aksaray Malaklı
aksaray acıgöl narlı göl
Gökçe village
Ağzıkarahan caravanserai
Tepesi delikhan caravanserai
Sultanhan Caravanserai
çat Valley
Gülşehir Mushroom Fairy chimneys
Nigde
What to eat and drink in Cappadocia
Pottery Kebap
Wine in Cappadocia
Pumpkin Seed
Local stone Jewellery
Hand Made Rugs Cooperatives in Cappadocia
Potteries done by Masters
Sat, Aug 6, 2022 2:00 PM
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