Cappadocia - Lonely Planet

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494
Cappadocia
Between Kayseri and Nevşehir, Central Anatolia’s mountain-fringed plains give way to a land
of fairy chimneys and underground cities. The fairy chimneys – rock columns, pyramids, mushrooms and a few camels – and the valleys of cascading cliffs were formed when Erciyes Dağı
erupted. The intervening millennia added to the remarkable Cappadocian canvas, with Byzantines carving cave churches and subterranean complexes to house thousands of people.
You could spend days touring the rock-cut churches and admiring their frescoes (technically seccos, actually). Alternatively, view the troglodyte architecture from far above on a
dawn hot-air balloon ride or from a panoramic hotel terrace.
Whether it’s a pension or a boutique hideaway with as few rooms as it has fairy chimneys, Cappadocia’s accommodation rates as some of Turkey’s best and allows guests to
experience cave dwelling firsthand. The restaurants in dreamy spots such as Göreme and
Ürgüp are equally alluring, with yet more terraces offering sweeping views of the knobbly
landscape. Staying in villages where eroding castles overlook small communities of very
laid-back people, you might just become a world expert on the aesthetic qualities of rocky
valleys at sunset. It will require evenings of study on the terrace, but you will get there with
a good supply of çay (tea) or Efes.
CAPPADOCIA
However, between lingering looks at the rocky remains of Cappadocia’s unique history, it
is worth checking out some further-flung spots. Caravanserais dot the roads to the seemingly
lost valleys of Ihlara and Soğanlı, and former Greek settlements such as Mustafapaşa.
HIGHLIGHTS
„ Explore Byzantine tunnels at Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu underground cities (p524)
„ Examine fresco-covered churches in the Göreme Open-Air Museum (p499)
„ Gaze at the pigeon houses riddling cliffs
and fairy chimneys in Göreme’s labyrinthine
valleys (p502)
„ Gasp at the outcrops doubling as castles in
Göreme
Uçhisar (p507) and Ortahisar (p516)
Uçhisar
„ Take the trip of a lifetime in a hot-air
Ortahisar
Kaymaklî
balloon (p510)
Derinkuyu
„ Drink in the views over multiple mezes in
Güzelyurt
chic Ürgüp (p517)
„ Part the vines and peer into a tumbledown
Greek mansion in Mustafapaşa (p522)
„ Trek through secluded monastic settlements
in Soğanlı (p523), Ihlara Valley (p528) and
Güzelyurt (p531)
Ürgüp
Mustafapaša
lhlara Valley
Soÿanlî
lonelyplanet.com
C A P PA D O C I A • • H i s t o r y 495
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CAPPADOCIA
40 km
20 miles
Topraklî
To Kîršehir (10km);
Ankara (210km)
Kî
z
îl î r m
Hacîbektaš
er
Riv
Himmetdede
a
k
Riv
To Sultan Han (35km);
Sivas (190km);
Malatya (344km)
er
Özkonak
ak
rm
îzîlî
K
Ortaköy
Yakatarla
Gülšehir
Avanos
Sarîhan
Sulusaray Zelve
Çökek
Çavušin
Aksalur
Göreme Aktepe
Nar Uçhisar
Ürgüp
Nevšehir
Încesu
Ortahisar
Mustafapaša
Göreme
Kavak
Bahçeli
Bašdere
Open-Air
Ayvalî
Museum Çardak
Yešilöz
Kešlik
Gölü
Monastery
Taškînpaša
Çöl
Sobesos
Šahinefendi
Dörtyol
Özlüce
Kaymaklî
Kayseri
Open
Palace
Kalebalta
Kozluca
Alay
Hanî
Acîgöl
Tepesidelik
Hanî
Aÿzîkara
Hanî
Talas
Kizilören
ὈὈὈ
ὈὈὈ
ὈὈὈ
Erciyes Daÿî
(3916m)
ὅὅ
ὅὅ
ὅὅ
ὅὅ
Kara Daÿî
Gölü
Yay
Gaziemir
nd
ele
M
See Ihlara Valley
Map (p529)
Göllü Daÿî
Selime
(2143m)
Güzelyurt
Belisîrma
lhlara
Sivrihisar
Ilîsu
Valley
Ihlara
Nora
Sekkin
Çiftlik
Boÿazî
Karkîn
Helvadere
S
iz
Tašpînar
u
uy
Saÿlîk
Güzelöz
Derinkuyu
Aksaray
Hasan Daÿî
(3268m)
Soÿanlî
Akköy
Baraji
Edikli
Gölcük
Yešilhisar
Develi
Gölü
Eÿri
Sultan Marshes
Bird Paradise
(Sultan Sazlîÿî
Kuš Cenneti)
Ovaçiftliÿi
Yahyalî
Ala Daÿlar
National Park
Altînhisar
Niÿde
Eski Gümüšler
Monastery
Mt Demirkazîk
(3756m)
Kapuzbašî
Waterfalls
Gümüšler
Demirkazîk
Bor
Çamardî
Kemerhisar
History
The Hittites settled Cappadocia (Kapadokya)
from 1800 BC to 1200 BC, after which smaller
kingdoms held power. Then came the Persians,
followed by the Romans, who established the
capital of Caesarea (today’s Kayseri). During
the Roman and Byzantine periods, Cappadocia
became a refuge for early Christians and,
from the 4th to the 11th century, Christianity
flourished here; most churches, monasteries
and underground cities date from this period. Later, under Seljuk and Ottoman rule,
Christians were treated with tolerance.
Cappadocia progressively lost its importance in Anatolia. Its rich past was all but
forgotten until a French priest rediscovered
the rock-hewn churches in 1907. The tourist
To Mansurlu
(40km)
boom in the 1980s kick-started a new era,
and now Cappadocia is one of Turkey’s most
famous and popular destinations.
Dangers & Annoyances
A warning is needed about bus services to
Cappadocia from other parts of Turkey. Many
readers have complained that although they
purchased tickets to Göreme, they found
themselves instead deposited at Nevşehir’s
otogar (bus station), or even outside it, and
were left with no alternative except to catch
an overpriced taxi to Göreme. We’ve even
heard of some unscrupulous bus companies abandoning travellers on the highway
outside Avanos. Problems most frequently
occur on buses travelling between destina-
CAPPADOCIA
To Adana
(190km)
Çukurbaÿ