CAPPADOCIA
The most famous sites of Cappadocia are located within a triangle of the roads connecting Nevsehir, Avanos, and Urgup. Nevsehir, the largest town, is a travel hub, while Urgup, Goreme, Cavusin, Uchisar and Ortahisar are all potential bases for tours of the surrounding valleys. The landscape of southern Cappadocia is quite different, with a hike in the beautiful gorge of the Ihlara Valley an attractive option. The labyrinthine underground city of Derinkuyu could be visited en route to the Ihlara Valley.
Cappadocia translates from Hittite as "land of the beautiful horses." The earliest known settlers in the Cappadocia region were the Hatti, whose capital Hattusas was north of Nevsehir. The Hattic civilization was displaced by a succession of other peoples: the Hittites, the Phrygian, and the Lydians. Cappadocia became a Roman province with Kayseri (Caesarea) as its capital. Despite the relative lack of interest in the region exerted by the Byzantines, it became an important Christian centre from the middle of the first millennium onwards.
3 Days In Cappadocia, Earth Trekkers:
Cappadocia, Matt Barrett's Travel Guides:
"Escape To Turkey's Otherworldly Landscape," National Geographic:
Aciksaray And Around
Aciksaray is a 6th-to-7th-century monastic complex of about a square kilometer. The Church of St. John, 2 kilometers north towards Gulsehir, has wonderful frescoes. This is not commonly visited.
Standoff In The Byzantine Chapel Of Acik Saray:
Uchisar
7 kilometers east of Nevsehir, Uchisar is popular with French visitors. Uchisar's 60 metre-high rock/castle dominates the modern town. It has various abandoned caves and tunnels.
Uchisar And Uchisar Castle, Heritage Travel:
Goreme
Located 3 kilometers northeast of Uchisar and 10 kilometers northeast of Nevsehire, the Goreme Valley holds the greatest concentration of rock-cut chapels and monasteries in Cappadocia, dating largely from the 9th century onwards. A hugely popular tourist destination, its core attraction is the village's open-air museum. More than 30 single-aisle churches contain fascinating frescoes. The Sakli Kilise ("Hidden Church"), for example, integrates Cappadocian landscapes into the Biblical stories. There are a number of wonderful local walks that can be engaged in, such as the 4 kilometer, two-hour hike to the village of Uchisar. The final descent into Uchisar is steep, with narrow stretches.
Goreme National Park And The Rock Sites Of Cappadocia, UNESCO World Heritage:
Sunrise hot-air balloon trips have become ubiquitous. Costs can range as high as 175 Euros per person. Two companies that are identified as reputable by Rough Guide are the following:
Cavusin And Around
A small village set beneath the abandoned cave dwellings of its old town, Cavusin is 6 kilometers north of Goreme, off the road to Avanos, which is 4 kilometers north. Many tour groups visit during the day, but its landscape and central location can make it an ideal place to stay if one has transport. The Church of St. John the Baptist was a pilgrimage church probably constructed in the 5th century. The Pigeon House is a church known for its frescoes commemorating the passage of the Byzantine emperor Nicephoras Phocas through Cappadocia in 964-65. Pasabagi Valley, located between Zelve and Cavusin, was a place of retreat for stylite hermits and is an hour's walk from the village.
Cavusin Old Greek Village And The Church Of Saint John:
Old Cavusin -- Cappadocia's Quaintest Corner, Turkey Travel Blog:
Zelve
Located 3 kilometers off the Avanos-Cavusin road, the Zelve Open-Air Museum has many caves and rooms and can only be accessed through dark holes and tunnels. A torch with spare batteries is recommended.
Ortahisar
The Pancarlik Church and Monastery Complex, 3 kilometers south of Ortahisar, is rarely visited due to the difficulty of access, but has some excellent frescoes.
Urgup
With a cluster of cave hotels in the tuff cliffs, Urgup is a rival to Goreme as a destination of choice for visitors to Cappadocia. It is located 12 kilometers east of Nevsehir.
Mustafapasa And Around
The village of Mustafapasa, 6 kilometers south of Urgup, is suggested as one possible base. The Keslik Kilesi monastery complex is located 3 kilometers south of Mustafapasa.
Mustafapasa, Nevsehir -- Wikipedia:
Mustafapas -- The Greek Sinasos, Turkish Travel Blog:
Soganli
Located 38 kilometers south of Urgup, Soganli has softer frescoes than those at Goreme.
Soganli Valley -- An Abandoned Village With Old Churches, Turkish Travel Blog:
Soganli Valley -- TripAdvisor:
Ihlara Valley
The Ihlara Valley with its rock-cut churches is an excellent possibility for a day hike. The setting is dramatic, with Mount Hasan as a backdrop and the Melendez River winding along the canyon floor. The 15-kilometer canyon lies between the village of Selime to the north and the town of Ihlara to the south. It is open daily from 8 am to sunset, with three villages offering ticketed entry points to the valley. Most visitors come on day-trips from Urgup or Goreme, though it's recommended to spend a night in either Ihlara Village or Selime. The 6 kilomter walk from Selime to Belisirma takes approximately 3 hours; a further 3 hours is needed to the remaining 10 kilometers to Ihlara Village. The Ihlara Village entrance provides direct access to the area that holds most of the valley's church, via a descent of several hundred steps.
Walking The Ihlara Valley, Turkish Travel Blog:
Ihlara Valley, Heritage Travel:
***Guzelyurt
Guzelyurt has still-inhabited troglodyte dwellings, as well as old Greek houses. At 13 kilometers distance, it is the nearest small town to the Ihlara Valley and offers a chance to catch a glimpse of an older Cappadocia. The Monastery Valley below the town has more than 50 rock-cut churches and monastery complexes. The 19th-century Yuksek Kilise (High Church) is dramatically situated on a high rock. A walk along its 4.5 kilometer length takes about 2 1/2 hours, and brings one to the village of Sivrihisar. From there, a 15-minute walk south takes one to the 6th or 7th century Kizil Kilise (Red Church).
Guzelyurt -- Cappadocia Without Tourists:
Underground Settlements
Among the most remarkable features of Cappadocia are the remains of underground settlements, some of them large enough to have held up to 30,000 people. These underground towns are thought to date back to Hittite times. The best known are Derinkuyu and Kaymakli, on the road from Nevsehir to Nigde.
Derinkuyu is some 12 kilomters south of Nevsehir. Home at one point to approximately 20,000 people, the eight-level complex is 60 meters deep. The most thoroughly excavated of the underground cities, it takes its name, meaning "deep well," from the 52 large ventilation shafts and wells that reach down some 85 meters. It's best to arrive before 10 am to avoid the crowds, and some of the passages are low and narrow. The lowest floor in particular is reached by a very shallow passageway.
Kaymakli, 20 kilometers south of Nevsehir, was discovered in 1964 and is the second most important underground city. Five levels are open to the public. It is both smaller and less crowded than Derinkuyu.
Derinkuyu Underground City -- Wikipedia:
Derinkuyu -- The Tumultuous History Of Turkey's Underground City: