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.
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We visited the open air museum on our last day at Goreme. We had previously visited the underground city at Kaymakli, and lots of cliffside city's through the vast valleys via exploring by foot and ATV. Once we reached the museum and realised that it was basically a collection of extremely old churches, what I mean by collection is about…
Very interesting especially if you have a really good Turkish guide.who has a really good knowledge of Turkish and religious history.
It is unique in the world. It is protected from gaudy development.
Make time to visit the Rose valley as the landscape are extraordinary and the colours breathtaking. You will feel like you are in a place like nowhere else on earth and start planning your return trip.
As a result of the volcanic eruptions, erosion of the river, and wind over ten thousand made this unique geological formation
Great place to visit. Amazing pictures. It takes appx. 90 minutes. You get to see all these churches/monasteries built in the rock. Don't get the audio guide… not worth it…
Interesting but too many tourists. But good intro to area's history. Try to get there early before the tourist buses arrive.
We walked the Pigeon Valley up from Goereme, had lunch at Uchisar and then found our way back down to Goereme on the plateau and back down Love Valley. A wonderful day, with magnificent views on the Erciyes volcano in the distance.
Not a big site, but worthwhile to see. The basalt "tops" are constantly being formed and the old ones falling down. Several look like they wouldn't make it through the week.
THe museum is a concise collection of the beauty of Cappadocia. It was fun admiring the magnificent architecture while getting some exercise.