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Bright Sun
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The Bible's
New Testament tells of Cappadocia, but
in fact this part of Central
Anatolia has been important
since Hittite times,
long before the time of Jesus.
Bounded
by the towns of
Hacibektas, Aksaray, Nigde and Kayseri,
it was known as Cappadocia in
ancient times, and is still called Kapadokya informally
today (map). Here's
how to get there.
Cappadocia is
Turkey's most visually striking
region, especially the "moonscape" area
around the towns of Ürgüp, Göreme, Uçhisar, Avanos and Mustafapasa
(Sinasos), where erosion has
formed caves, clefts, "fairy
chimneys" and sensuous folds
in the soft volcanic rock.
Prime
activities here are visiting the
historic painted cave churches of
the many monastic valleys (especially
the Göreme
Valley and Zelve
Valley), flying
in a hot-air
balloon at dawn above
the incredible landscape, hiking the
volcanic valleys (especially the Rose
Valley [Gül
Vadisi]), and spending the night
in a comfortable
cave room with all the
modern comforts. (Here's the full hotel picture.)
Although
the volcanic landscape can appear
inhospitable, the mineral-rich
soil is excellent for growing vegetables and fruits,
making Cappadocia a rich agricultural
region. It has always been one of Anatolia's
prime grape-growing areas, and still
boasts many productive vineyards and wineries.
Here's a list
of the towns and major sights of
Cappadocia.
Here's
a list of good Cappadocian travel
agencies that can arrange guided
tours, car rentals, car-and-driver, and
any other services you may want.
For
an excellent full-day
excursion,
drive to the surprising underground
cities at Derinkuyu and Kaymakli and
the formerly Ottoman-Greek
mountain town of Güzelyurt
before taking a hike of several
hours in the Ihlara
Valley. More...
You
may also want to spend a half-day
hiking the less-visited Soganli
Valleys of southern Cappadocia,
south of Mustafapasa.
Another
great excursion is to the Byzantine Iconoclastic rock-hewn
monastery at Eski
Gümüsler near Nigde.
You
can get to Cappadocia easily
by bus from
anywhere in Turkey. Here's information
on traveling to Cappadocia from Istanbul,
Izmir/Ephesus, Pamukkale and Ankara,
and here's a region
map. For travel
times and distances, see the
pages for Kayseri, Nevsehir or Ürgüp.
Click
here for maps of Ankara,
Cappadocia & Central Anatolia.
Here
are paintings
of Cappadocia by Jane Norling.
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Above, sculpted
by wind and water, the soft volcanic
rock of Cappadocia makes
sensuous folds in the late
afternoon light.
Left, weird
rock formations in Cappadocia's Love
Valley.
Below, a hot air
balloon drifts through Love Valley.
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