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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No matter where you are staying, dont miss the Goreme open air museum. A beautiful collection of churches carved into the mountains, some with unbelievable frescoes. Splurge for the audio guides,if you are not on a guided tour. The gizmos have 2 spots to connect earphones, so one is workable for a couple,if you have your own earphones…
This valley was part of a tour around goreme. The natural erosion of the cliffs and hills make this place awesome, also the reason why it was called pigeon valley.
Amazing to speculate how they ived. What did they do for food? How did they get water? How did they dispose of excreta? Why isn't there more soot on the ceiling from oil lamps and fires? How did they breathe & How did oxygen get to the lowest caves?
On my bus trip through Turkey two days were scheduled for Cappadocia sightseeing. What an experience and what a wonderful unexpected fairy tale land -By day we visited the underground dwellings, caves, churches in the rocks and took very early morning balloon rides. A visit to a typical Turkish cave house was included- I could have just stayed there. Stopping…
Amazing. We have traveled many areas and this is one of the most amazing. We stayed at Ergup Evi Cave Hotel in Ergup. We took a full day private tour of the park with Yesim. She was so knowledgeble and accommodated our needs. The rock formations defy description. The stories of the underground cities were fascinating.
Good times at the Open Air Museum of Goreme. Sited only a couple hundred meters of the city of Goreme, and following the main road as soon as you leave Goreme towards Avanos direction. It's only 10-15 minutes walking distance.
Here is the place to contemplate the several Christian Churches and dwellings cave in rocks, some of them with original…
Although this is not a very highly rated attraction, it gives you a good insight into the life of monks. And the climb and scrambling up rock dwellings gives you feeling of a good safe adventure. The views from the chapel and monastery is also very good.
I assume that in the summer it is very hot to do this walking, in the winter it is imposible. But if you come at the right season you can enjoy a nice walking in the valley.
The caves and the natural stone formations are breath-taking and beautiful. There is a fair amount of walking but with ample reward in viewing.
Truly a remarkable site to see. The paintings and the history are mind-blowing. I recommend taking a guided tour. The fact that you cannot take photos make it just that much more special to see.