Information about Cappadocia resort in Turkey
Rating: 8,3/10 (9422 votes)  AttractionsCappadocia is an incredibly popular tourist destination. A million visitors to the country annually visit the sights of this area. Usually tourists from Europe, China, India, America and Japan come here. All of them are attracted by the mysterious history hidden behind one of the most unusual"extraterrestrial" landscapes of our planet. The name of this area was given by the ancient Hittites, who settled in Cappadocia in the 18th century BC. From their language it means"country of thoroughbred horses." For the entire time of the settlement of this territory, it was ruled by several peoples, which contributed to the development of several cultures at once. After the Hittites, Persians ruled here, then Alexander the Great conquered Cappadocia, several centuries later the country received the status of a Roman province. Everything changed after how the first Christians came to these places to seek solitude and protection from the Saracens (Muslims). They founded entire underground cities here. These cities still amaze the imagination, they are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Because of them, Cappadocia appears to the traveler in a completely extraterrestrial form - the surface of the earth is dotted with stone waves of sandstone and tuff. The endless number of curving stone ridges looks very unusual. These natural sculptures are more than 60 million years old; they owe their birth to local volcanoes. The rocks of Cappadocia, similar to giant mushrooms, are also miraculous. They consist of tuff topped with basalt. The people who inhabited these places called these statues"peri badjalary" ("fairy chimneys"). Christians who were looking for shelter here, evaluated the properties of tuff, which was easy to process. They cut down houses for themselves and settled in these places. Soon, churches decorated with magnificent frescoes and monastic cells appeared in the stone passages. In total, there are more than a thousand churches in Cappadocia. Among them, the Karanlik Church, Uchisar Church, St. John Church, Tokaly Church, Kyzyl Church, Elmaly Church, Panjarly Church, Ala Church, Chavushin Church, St. George Church, El Nazar Church, Yylanli Church are of particular interest. From the monasteries, it is interesting to see the monastery of Nuns and Monks and the monastery of the Archangels, founded here in the 4th century in the place that, according to legend, the Archangel Michael pointed out to Queen Helena. All these churches have individual characteristics. There are temples with nave, basilica or cross-shaped layouts. They are decorated with arches, columns, domes, vaults and incredible paintings that have preserved their colors to this day. The names of the creators of the iconic masterpieces have not survived. Christians lived very isolated. They camouflaged the entrances to their underground houses, heavy stone blocks fenced off the passages. These houses have ventilation and a chimney to the outside. All these wonders can be seen in the cities of Nevsehir, Urgup and the city-museum of Goreme. Nevsehir is also remembered for the 18th century complex of buildings built for the vizier of Nevsehir Damat Ibrahim Pasha. There you can see an outstanding mosque, school, madrasah, canteen, caravanserai, library and public baths. Urgup is famous for the fact that the famous saint Ivan the Russian lived there. His home is the main attraction of this town. The cave settlement Gorem, which is considered an open-air museum, contains more than 30 underground churches. Kaymakli and Derinkuyu towns are located to the south of Gorem. Directly below Kaymakli is an underground city consisting of halls, passages and rather gloomy labyrinths. The city Derinkuyu has sunk 85 meters into the ground. These settlements served as ideal hiding places — everything needed for a siege — wells, food stores, kitchens, workshops, and livestock quarters. In times of peace, people got out of the caves and engaged in agriculture. Walking through these tunnels is an incredible adventure. Ancient people were inventive - they made secret passages, as well as traps that led to a deep basement. Cities deepened with each generation. Two kilometers from Goreme there is a settlement Cavushin, famous for its frescoes. But in the city Ortahisar, which is 6 kilometers from Urgup, there is an opportunity to see the fortress"Ortahisar Kalesi", which was once an important strategic point. At the same distance from Urgup is the town of Mustafapasha, famous for Greek houses with beautiful stone decoration.  EntertainmentCappadocia's most popular sightseeing tour - Hot Air Balloon Tour ... Thanks to this excursion, tourists can see the landscapes of these places from a bird's eye view, Legend has it that they inspired George Lucas to create the landscapes of the fourth episode of Star Wars. Local guides will be happy to show you the places where the film was allegedly filmed. In addition, guests of the country can visit ethnic holidays here. A kind of entertainment for tourists is to stay in a hotel located in an underground city. In such a hotel, anyone can settle in a comfortable cave. The service is in such demand that it is strongly recommended to book a room in advance. No one leaves Cappadocia without buying some handmade souvenir here. In these places they sell jewelry made of yellow, pink, red and white onyx, very beautiful carpets, delicious wines from local cellars, products made of clay, stone, volcanic tuff, faience, We also recommend reading Information about the Cesky Krumlov resort in the Czech Republic Topic: Information about Cappadocia resort in Turkey. |
