Cappadocia - Kapadokya

Only three and a half hours' drive (276 km) from Ankara via Kýrsehir-Hacibektas and Gülsehir highway, you reach one of the most popular tourist destinations in Turkey: Cappadocia - literally "the land of beautiful horses" in Persian, and a fantasy land of fairy chimneys.
Fairy Chimneys:
Centered on the triangle of Nevsehir, Ürgüp and Avanos, Cappadocia is in the middle of a once-active volcanic region. The region's unique character results from the eruption of Mount Erciyas (ancient Mt. Argaeus) and Mount Hasan some 60 million years ago, which spread a thick layer of ash over the area. During the following centuries, erosion from rain and wind created valleys in the soft rock that left behind higher sections of interesting conical structures sometimes reaching as high as 45 meters. These rock formations are called "Fairy Chimneys", a name that has endured throughout the ages. Although nature arranged the décor, it was Anatolian men who, over the centuries, carved the rocks and built houses, churches and over 120 underground cities.

It is an enchanting open-air museum and a supreme example of the common cultural heritage of humanity. You have to go there and bathe in its atmosphere, colors and luminance. During your trip to Turkey, Cappadocia shouldn't be just another spot to visit. The area is so rich with well-known and hidden places that we advise you to spend at least four days or, even better, a week to fully appreciate the area. Slow down and rest during your holidays! Discover the old villages, colorful markets, and the bird watching at Sultansazlýðý Natural Park (one day trip). For a truly unforgettable couple of hours, you might consider going up in a hot-air balloon piloted by experienced professionals. There is no better way to see Cappadocia

Cappadocia was known to be a wealthy country with surprisingly fertile land and trade links with its neighbors. Various vegetables and trees are grown by farmers. Also, wine-making is an important industry in the region. People still live in rock-carved dwellings as they lived centuries ago, which are cool in summer and warm in winter.

The strange rock formations and subterranean dwellings of Cappadocia provide unforgettable experiences, memories and photographs. Any time of the year is beautiful here, whether you're hiking in the Ilhara valley in the spring sun or exploring a landscape that defies description when the snows of winter come. Ihlara Valley is the canyon formed by the Melendiz stream, which has cut its way through the rocks. In this 14-km-long valley, there are 105 churches and 4535 houses. Cappadocia defies description.

The Cappadocia area was ruled as a series of small, independent states starting as early as the 6th century B.C. In 17 A.D., Emperor Tiberius made the region a Roman Province. It became a sanctuary for Christians, who hid in the existing underground cities and made their own mark by carving several thousand churches and monasteries.

Wine Center Ürgüp
Urgup, a growing small town with shops, restaurants, and quaint hotels, is a good central location to stay during your visit to Cappadocia. Ürgüp is about 7 kilometers from Göreme and lies at the foot of steep rocks, which were once thoroughly inundated with people making their homes in them. The highest homes were later deserted and the others now serve as sheds. According to documents from the 10th century, Ürgüp was a bishops' residence in the Middle Ages. The route from Ürgüp to Ortahisar is a picturesque corner with innumerable rock-pyramids partly grouped together and partly with tuff caps.

Ürgüp has grown enormously over the last twenty years or so in response to the needs of tourists, and is now a major shopping center - especially for carpets, jewelry, antiques, leather, ceramics, and hookah pipes. A permanent handicrafts market (the El Sanatlar) offers a variety of souvenirs and the Turkish Bath (hamam) is geared to the needs of tourists as well as locals.

Ürgüp has some lively nightlife with a theatre, discos and bars offering Turkish evenings of food, drink and traditional dancing. Around Ürgüp, the long-standing Ottoman and Greek tradition of winemaking continues. Many wine shops offer free wine-tasting all year round, and a Wine Festival is held every year in October. At the center of a successful wine-producing region, Ürgüp also hosts an annual International Wine Festival. In Ürgüp itself you can still see how people once lived in homes cut into the rock.

The underground cities were cut out of volcanic tufa, some of them as deep as 300 feet, during the period from the 6th to the 10th centuries. It is possible to descend through the floor levels of the cities by means of labyrinths and tunnels. Southwest of Ürgüp, near the town of Aksaray, is the remote Ihlara Valley. Approximately 6 miles long and 75 yards wide, the canyon is filled with churches from the 11th century.

Göreme (Open Air Museum)
It is one of the earliest settlements in the area. Over 30 of the best-preserved churches in Cappadocia can be seen here. Most churches date from the 9th to 11th centuries and bear good examples of Byzantine mural paintings. Uçhisar is a fortress-type settlement hewn into a high outcrop of rock. The view of the Cappadocian landscpe from Uçhisar castle especially is truly unique. It is worth mentioning the Kizil Çukur Vadisi (Crimson Cavity Valley) in Çavusin. The soil is a reddish color and at sunset the valley displays all shades of crimson.

The best churches in Göreme are Elmali (Apple Church), St. Barbara, Yilanli (Snake Church), Karanlik (Dark Church), Çarikli (Sandal Church) and Tokali (Church with a Shield). A lively tourist center at the foot of a rock ridge riddled with old dwellings serves as an excellent base from which to tour the sights of Cappadocia.

Pottery in Avanos
Avanos (formerly Vanessa), which lies 18 km northeast of Nevsehir, is a pottery heaven and can be reached by passing over Kizilirmak, the longest river in Turkey. The red clay used in the pottery industry is taken out of the nearby banks of Kizilirmak. It is the main economic activity of the town and it is a craft dating back to the Hittite period. The most important industries apart from pottery are hand-knotted carpets and viniculture.

Soganli Frescos from the past
Soganli Valley, 50 km south of Urgüp, is one of the most attractive areas in the region: picturesque with its innumerable chapels, churches, halls, houses and tombs. It is estimated that there were about 150 churches here. A leisurely day walking through the valley will reveal many great examples of unique rock-cut churches decorated with murals. The pigeon nests, which were carved into the rocks, were painted with madders. The development of fresco art in the Byzantine period can be seen in the churches built between the 8th and the 13th centuries. The most famous product of the area is fabric dolls dressed with colorful clothes.

Ortahisar, a rock village
Ortahisar lies at the foot of a rock slope with a lot of rock-hollows. The first inhabitants of the village probably lived in these hollows, which are used for storage nowadays. A splendid castle carved into the rock and just beneath an antique store meets you at the entrance to the town. Here you can purchase various rare wooden objects collected from every corner of Anatolia, such as doors, window and ceiling ornaments, chests and handmade ornaments.

What to eat? Where to stay?
Delicious testi kebap (literally jug kebap), pastirmali kuru fasulye (white beans with spiced meat) and warm pide (flat bread) are really worth tasting. And the homemade wines are each more delicious than the next. The restaurants located in "fairy chimneys" or carved into the rocks are interesting sites for dinner. If you recall us while enjoying your meal, please raise a glass for the mymerhaba team.

Besides the establishments carved into the rocks, 5-star hotels, pensions, camping and caravan areas are among the alternatives for accommodation.

The incredible beauty of a balloon ride over Cappadocia, mostly organized by 5-star hotels, leaves everyone with enough memories to last a lifetime.