Cappadocia (and Goreme)

Places of Interest - Turkey

Cappadocia-Goreme-Moon-Landscape-Cone-Turkey

introduction

Cappadocia is a region south of the steppe in the Turkish regions of Central Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia. The area is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is one of the world's greatest natural wonders. You can visit cave dwellings, underground cities that served as a shelter and form a mysterious labyrinth through small, narrow corridors, rooms and "booby traps" for unwanted intruders.

There are "hidden" monasteries, churches with beautiful (biblical) frescoes and castles and of course you also want to spend the night in a residential cave. These cave cities look like an unrealistic moon landscape with rock walls, cones, chimneys and strange peaks. Today it is forbidden for the residents to live in the cave or cave dwellings, but this stopped only in 1951. Before that people lived in millennium after millennium.

Goreme is a real tourist town, the center of the region where everything is what a modern tourist deems necessary for a successful trip. Here you can sleep in a cave, visit a large, very interesting open air museum, drink a beer in a cave and, for example, take a trip in a hot air balloon. If you want a more authentic stay you will have to look a bit further.

If you have had enough of the "Star Wars" panorama, go for a walk in the beautiful 16 kilometer long Ihlara valley - a green oasis filled with birds and beautiful carved churches with equally impressive frescoes. If there is a region in Turkey that you shouldn’t miss while travelling through Turkey, it is this one.

highlights

Goreme:

In the backpacktown of Goreme you can already see a lot of what made the region so famous; the plateau in which this pit is located, arose after a huge eruption of three volcanoes some 40 million years ago. The eruptions and the volcanic precipitation, which followed the great eruption, persisted for many thousands of years. In the millions of years thereafter, the extremes of the continental climate and the river Kizilirmak broke out of the plateau.

The formation of the typical tuff cones is largely due to hard pieces of lava that originally lay in the enormous tuff stone cake. They became exposed through erosion, after which wind and water had less influence on the underlying tuff. In places where these hard stones were missing in the tufa cake, table formations formed, in which rivers dredged deep ravines. Already in prehistoric times this solidified lava was mined and the striking tuff cones were carved into homes. These cave dwellings have been turned into hostel rooms for tourists, especially in Goreme. You are therefore obliged to choose at least a hostel where you sleep in a cave.

In addition, you should actually visit the open-air museum (see below) on the outskirts of the city. Do not forget to go to the Tokali Kilise outside the museum - one of Goreme's grand and beautiful churches with beautiful (Biblical) frescoes divided in two rooms. In the center itself you can visit the Roman castle which is said to be used as a tomb for Roman nobles.

Finally, in the labyrinth of the city there is the Konak Turk Evi, a villa that once housed Mehmet Pasa, an Ottoman leader. When it is open you can see two beautiful rooms covered with frescoes made by the artist who is also responsible for the dining room in Topkapi palace in Istanbul. Of course you can make different walks around the town through the very mystical (moon) landscape of the region.

Around Goreme:

One of Cappadociá's highlights is a visit to Derinkuyu which literally means deep source. It is an underground city of seven floors deep with large rooms, stone stairs, small and narrow corridors, windows between the different rooms and a ventilation shaft that pervades the fact how many meters you are under the ground. These cities were already inhabited from the 7th century BC. and in times of peace the people lived above ground - if there was a threat, the residents could camp under the ground for up to 6 months.

There were also "booby traps" built in if intruders tried to enter the underground cities - holes in the floor, large stones that could be pushed into "passages" and openings in which hot oil could be thrown. So in addition to the fact that ten thousands of people could "hide" here, it was also a perfect way to transport people without being seen - an invisible tunnel complex for the transport of soldiers but also of goods.

If you have enough of the cones and chimneys then you can visit the Ihlara valley - a kilometer-long very green valley filled with many birds and beautiful carved churches decorated with impressive frescoes. Even though the real cave dwellings are no longer inhabited, the inhabitants of the region do live in houses made of the stone material that is available here, giving you a Star Wars like scene for dishware. You can see this in the village Selime. Perhaps the most beautiful tufa cones are in Cavusin valley - an unrealistic view of the cave dwellings, cones that are also called chimneys.

history

Cappadocia was the cradle of the people of the Hittites and during the Old-Hittite Empire the capital, Hattusa, was to be located in Cappadocia. But the Hittites had to be in 1200 BC. after their demise they gave way to the Phrygians who set fire to Hattusa and thus put an end to the Hittite rule in Cappadocia, which later became the Cimmerians. After these two dominions, Persia also began with an expansion, through the region of Cappadocia which came under Persian rule from the 6th to the 4th century BC.

The oldest mentioned name of Cappadocia dates back to that time. Under the Persian authority Cappadocia enjoyed great independence and cultural freedom. For example, it was allowed to honor the fire god who had to keep the volcanoes calm, and they were allowed to keep their own architectural styles. In the 4th century BC it was time for Alexander the Great to make his grand entrance on the Asian continent. Cappadocia was not spared from this and was incorporated into the Hellenistic Empire. Alexander, however, never stayed in Cappadocia so that it could again retain a certain freedom.

When the Hellenistic Empire was divided among the diadas in 323 BC, after the death of Alexander, Cappadocia came under the royal family of Ariarathes. This generation ruled from 323 to 93 BC. and were very Roman-minded.

The family of the Ariaratheses kept the Romans as good as possible in order to appease them. Later they also helped the Romans in their war against the Seleucids in Syria and later in their conflict with Aristonicus of Pergamum. That way they could keep the Romans as a friend for a long time. The civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompeius broke out and Cappadocia supported Pompey.

After being defeated at the Battle of Pharsalus, they opted for Caesar. After his death they joined his murderers Brutus and Cassius who ruled the East, but when they are defeated against Marcus Antony and Octavian they support Marcus Antony. However, he was defeated at Actium by Octavian and Cappadocia joined Octavian. This allowed them to guarantee their autonomy for a long time. However, the dynasty of Ariobarzanes came to an end. Archelaus of Cappadocia became the new king, a vassal king of the Romans. In 17 AD. then Cappadocia became a province of the Roman Empire by Tiberius.

The province was peaceful and calm but of capital importance in the military field. They formed the border between the Empire and the eastern enemies. In addition, Cappadocia had the only military port of the Black Sea in the city of Trapezus. As a result, the province was not governed by a governor but by the legates, commanders of the legions. Cappadocia was known for its silver and tin mines and also provided the empire with grain, granite, incense, ivory, papyrus, cotton and wood. Cappadocia also retained this military and economic importance in the Byzantine Empire. From this time until the 1950s, when the cave dwellings were abandoned by order of the government, people lived here.

Now most of Cappadocia's caves are decorated as a museum and are a tourist-attraction on itself and attracts thousands of tourists every year.

tips & advice (2004)

There is a small bus station in the center of Goreme but because it is such a small city you can not "bus" to every corner of the country. A train station is missing.

Goreme - Urfa: you will first have to travel by bus to the city of Kayseri; these buses go every hour and the journey takes about 1.5 hours; cost about $ 3. From there you can take a night bus at midnight to the city of Urfa.

Name: Goreme open-air museum

Price: $ 10

Time: 08:00 - 17:00

Content:

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is located about a kilometer outside the center of Goreme and is certainly worth a visit - especially if you’ve got a lack of time and can not make a day trip. The terrain is as you can see in photographs of the region - a lunar landscape with cones and peaks in which Byzantine churches, graves, chapels and monasteries are carved out.

In some, beautiful (Biblical) frescoes can be seen, while in other storage basements, underground tombs, benches, kitchens and many other things can be seen.

TIP: come early in the morning before the tour groups arrive.
TIP: for the Karanlik Kilisesi you have to pay extra ($ 7)

We made an attempt to have a beer in the evening - in the Flintstone bar the music was good, the beer was perfect but we were almost alone (unfortunately). There is a cozy restaurant in the center of the village (I think the name is Goreme-restaurant) where you can eat well and where there is a large outdoor terrace with large leather seats outside to chill out.

Inside you have to take off your shoes and take a seat on the floor while sitting behind a table.

Name: Kemal's guesthouse

Address: Zeybek Sokak 3

Price: 17,500,000 L (double)

Phone nr. : 271 2234

Email: kemalsguesthouse@hotmail.com

Content:

Perfectly located in the center of Goreme lies this fantastic and very relaxed (almost hippie) hostel. Very friendly owners, a great cave room without being really fantastic - just standard.

Especially the toilets are very small. The big advantage of this hostel is next to its location is the large garden where you can enjoy breakfast (is included) and relax in the afternoon. Toilet's and showers are in the hallway.

Of course it is possible to visit all these places mentioned individually - you will have to have a lot of time, money, patience and endurance. In addition, you will not be disappointed to pay individual entrance tickets everywhere and public transport between places that do not go frequently (if they go between these "tourist" places.)

Finally, there is no (English speaking) guide that will tell you a lot of information. A tour as described below is not only very enjoyable, but also educational and a great way to see and hear a lot in a short period of time. You meet also a lot of other (international) tourist.

TOUR CAPPADOCIA (1 day)

Price: 50,000,000 L

You leave around 9:15 from the center of Goreme in a minibus with a group of about 10 people and you will visit these places:

Goreme (a panorama from outside the city);
Derinkuyu (underground city);
llhara valley; here you eat lunch along the river
Selime (cave dwellings and monastery);
Caravanserai (Agzikara Hani);
Avanos (presentation of a pottery)
The chimneys of Cavusin

Around 7 o'clock in the evening you will be back in Goreme.