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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Great place to see and learn the history of the area! Very fascinating that so much of it is still standing.It is very hilling and often has a steep climb — be sure to wear tennis shoes.
Well worth the visit,All the old chapels and churches, the caves, storage, narrow tunnels.The caves are really beautiful.
This place is a bit touristy, but you will get some amazing photos and details about the history of Capadocia. I would say visit this AFTER hiking and getting lost in the valleys, but definitely worth checking out.
Its the reason you come to Cappadocia so don't miss it. The grounds themselves are crowded and lots of buses of tourists so its tough to get the rooms and caves to yourself. Sometimes when there is a big group, be the last ones out and you will get a brief few seconds to enjoy a room and the frescos.
kaymaklı ınder graun cıty is emazıng the guide of undergraund city old mustafa is the best guide hones man
loved the underground city where originally the Hittites used to live and hide while under attack from the enemy. Found the old churches from Greek Orthodox times very interesting, original wall paintings still to be seen.
You can see a lot of small churches. The pictures are not allowed inside. The biggest church has a separate entrance fee. Try to allocate at least 2 hours to see it properly.
Derinkuyu was amazing. It's an 8th or 7th century B.C.E. multi-level underground city which seemingly just keeps going forever. I believe our tour guide told us only about 10% of it was open to visitors, but there's a lot to be seen in that 10%. Several passages and stairways, kitchens, rooms, meeting rooms, live-stock storage areas, etc.
This is probably pretty close to what it may have looked like!
It is a very interesting experience because hearing the stories about how people used to live in these centuries old underground dwellings, with stables, churches, living quarters, and then experiencing navigating the accessible floors through narrow sloping tunnels that require some degree of flexibility, and just imagining how…
So I spent a few discussions with a couple locals looking for the National Park. Apparently, pretty much the whole area is the "national park". Including the Open air Museum, the Rose and Red Valleys, White and Love Valley, etc. I loved it all, especially the White, Love, and Red Valley because there aren't any ATVs and less crowded.