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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I suppose that this may be a unique type of castle. But it looked more like a high-rise apartment building!
Goreme Open-Air Museum is truly spectacular. You not only get to see caves, but the ones you see have been transformed into beautifully painted chapels. it is important to have the right guide because the guide cannot take you into the caves, but has to explain everything before you go in.
This is a cave quite unlike the other rock caves in Coppadocia. Even getting into the inner chambers of Deringkuyu (7 stories underground) were not half as scary. The main problem is that while even if you can climb up there is a lot of loose sand or dust on the slopes which makes climbing down on steep gradients quite…
After ballooning and breakfast the staff at the Kelebek Hotel recommended that we do this hike prior to visiting the Goreme Open Air museum. They said it was better to wait until late in the day to visit Goreme after the tour buses were gone. The Hotel dropped us off at the trail head and we began our hike. It…
Visit this museum to understand how the Hittites lived over 3000 years ago. Many level caves including a church, a winery, a grainery and living quarters. Fascinating but be careful if you don't have a guide. Follow the arrows so you don't get lost and be wary of the deep holes.
The Fairy Chimneys are amazing, and this open air museum is delightful. The ancient frescoe paintings in the caves are still very visible. You can even see the smoke soot from the cooking stove in one of the cave rooms. There was a special photo exhibit installed in two rooms of the caves which in itself was worth the visit….
Interesting place to visit. We didn't get a tour guide or audio guide but still felt like we got a good grasp of the area. Definitely should be part of the Cappadocia experience.
We walked back through Pigeon Valley after visiting Uchaisar (awesome). Although we had asked several people for directions, we ended up starting all the way at the end of town which was probably 1.5km farther than necessary. The path is not well marked and inevitably we got lost and found ourselves on a path that lead straight off a cliff….
We were with a guide and had to wait outside for other groups, while those with the audio headsets could pick and choose their exhibits and work around the crowds. Extremely interesting.
Kaymakli, Turkey in the area of Cappadocia is a unique spot with dwellings you will never see again. Plus you can go hot air ballooning over them to get a better view. This is an amazing place. It also has great hiking. We went in Sept. and avoided the heat and some of the crowds.