All About Cappadocia
Cappadocia has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1985. You can not see fairy chimneys in a beautiful place like in Cappadocia. Cappadocia is a very large region and there are many natural beauty and historical places to see here. You can see churches carved into the rocks everywhere. Göreme Open Air Museum is in the best condition. We have prepared visitable places and some short information for you. You can see it at the bottom of the page.
Ürgüp; Ürgüp is the largest and most developed settlement in the Cappadocia region. There are fairy chimneys and newly discovered caves here. You can watch all of Ürgüp and its surroundings from Temenni Hill, the highest hill of Ürgüp.
Avanos; The red river passes right in the middle of the Avanos town. The art of ceramics, with red clay from red river, gained importance here. You will be amazing how they use to the soil and how turns into art.
Pigeon Valley: Between Uchisar and Göreme and covering an area of 4 kilometers, Pigeon Valley has taken its name from the pigeon nests carved into the rocks.
Güllüdere Valley: You will see the best of the fairy chimneys and the most artistic stance while walking in the valley. You will see ruins and churches belonging to the monastic life of ancient Christians, in the valley.
Zemi Valley: Sarnic Church, Görkündere Church, Saklı Church, and El Nazar Church are in this valley. You will find rich vegetation in this hidden valley, which is quite suitable for walking.
Uchisar Castle: Uchisar Castle is high point of Cappadocia; The snowy head of Erciyes, Kızılcukur, Ürgüp, Avanos, or the whole region is spreading under your feet. This place is where you can watch the sunset and take panoramic pictures of Cappadocia.
Pasabagi Valley: Valley of the Pasabagi Priests is one of the valleys where you can watch interesting formations of the fairy chimneys. They named to Saint Simeon in the middle of the valley which is the three-headed fairy chimney.
Devrent Valley: The other names of Devrent Valley is Dream Valley and Haunted Valley. There are fairy chimneys in the form of the famous camel and different silhouettes, which you will sometimes liken to an animal and sometimes to a human. Can you to find the fairy chimney of the Virgin Mary who opened her hands in this visual feast.
Zelve Valley: Zelve Valley is one of the largest open-air museums in Cappadocia. You will see the most pointed and wide body fairy chimneys here. This valley is one of the most important religious centers for Christians, because there are 15 churches here.
Özkonak Underground City: The only places that are more astonished over the earth are the underground cities. Ozkonak Underground City is one of the heritage of the world. This city is thought to has been made in 400 years. It is consists of four floors.
Ihlara Valley: There are 105 historical artifacts in the valley which extends for 14 kilometers in a canyon at a depth of 120 meters. This valley is the most secret, deepest and most mysterious of Cappadocia.
Derinkuyu Underground City: This is the largest underground city of Cappadocia. There is deep well in the middle of the city, this is reason why it is name of city. This city has 8 floors of space.
Kaymakli Underground City: This is the second largest underground city of Cappadocia. This city has made under the hill which is the Castle of Kaymakli. This city open for visiting in 1964.
Ortahisar Castle; You can visit Ortahisar Castle, about 90 meters high and Cappadocia Ethnographic Museums and Hallaç Monastery are located here, and you can visit the Pancarlık valley near to here.
Cavusin Village; Cavusin is on the road of Göreme-Avanos, one of the oldest settlements in Cappadocia. The church, built in the name of John the Baptist in Cavusin, is located in a dominant place.
Soganli Valley; The Soganli valley has a large area of 25 km, So there are about 50 churches here but you can visit 15 of. Important churches in the valley are Karabas, Yilanli, Kubbeli and the Church of St.Barbara (Tahtali).
Goreme Valley and Goreme Open-Air Museum: Goreme is a place where you will enter a completely different world. In this different world where the missionary and seclusion of Christians escaped from oppression and where the monastic life started, you will meet many churches, chapels and living areas carved into the rocks.
Places to See in Göreme Open Air Museum
Male and Girl Monastery; At the entrance of the Göreme Open Air Museum, there is the monastery, which is called the Girl and Boy Monastery or called the Nuns and Priests Monastery. It is a seven-storey complex with a kitchen, chapel and church. Kizlar Monastery is connected to each other by tunnels on the ground floor. Only the first two floors of the monastery are open to visitors.
St. Basil’s Chapel; St. Basil’s Chapel is located on the entrance side of the Göreme Museum. The tombs of chapels smaller than the church, made for a particular person, are different. There is a section located at the church entrances and separated from the main section by columns. This chapel called St. Basil’s. There is a cemetery where important people are buried in the this section.
Elmalı Church; Elmalı Church consists of nine domes, four columns, closed cross plan and three abscissa structures. Entered the church is through the main entrance at the front and a tunnel from the back side. The decorations of the Apple Church, which is like a work of art due to its architecture and decorations. So, cross and geometric motifs made with red paint on the wall.
St. Barbara Chapel; St. Barbara Chapel is right behind the rock block where the Elmalı Church is located. Geometric patterns were used without a human figure. The name was Saint Barbara of Egypt, because who was martyred due to his father’s Christian belief.
Yılanlı Church; There is a picture on the wall of the church, depicted as a man with female breasts. The green dragon figure on the wall of the church, depicting St. George fighting the dragon, was called the serpentine church because of the snake resemblance.
Dark Church; The Dark Church has a sheltered solid entrance. And can only be enter this tunnel. It is the best church among the churches in Cappadocia.
St. Catherine’s Chapel; St. Catherine’s Chapel is between the Dark Church and Çarıklı Church. St. There are eleven tombs in Catherine.
Carikli Church; Carikli Church, the name of Hz. He took it from his footprints beneath the fresco that depicts Jesus’ ascension to heaven. It differs from the crucifixion of Jesus and the stages of his removal from the cross.
Tokali Church; Tokali Church is the biggest church in the region, located just outside the Göreme Open Air Museum. This Church has with the fresco of the Virgin Mary, which has the most beautiful you have ever seen.
If you want to visit all these places, one week time is enough. You can rent a car, rent a atv, take a guided daily Cappadoica tours, take a ride fly hot air balloon , ride a bike, join the horse safari. There are many activities you can do.
There are very beautiful special hotel in Cappadocia. Engraved hotels inside the cave. Hotels made from old mansions. All of them are a separate beauty. You can stay in one of these hotels.
We will be happy if we see you in Cappadocia, Let’s discover all beauties of Cappadocia.
