TOURMAG SAYI 18

Cappadocia the Region of Tourism
a wine cellar. The pigments in the murals
inside the rock-cut churches, the newest
of which dates to the 12th century, are as
vivid as if they were painted yesterday.
One of Cappadocia’s oldest settlements,
Avanos is another must-see. As the giant
monument at the entrance announces, this
town has been a center of pottery making
since the time of the Hittites.
LABYRINTH CAVES AND
TUNNELS
Cappadocian valleys are the result of
long-ago volcanic eruptions that slathered
the scenery with a thick coating of tuff,
which the ensuing centuries than eroded
into deep gullies or carved into fantastically-shaped
rock formations. Later
came the pickaxe and shovel-wielding
humans who chipped away at the rocks to
make homes for themselves and stables
for their animals. In troubled times they
burrowed down into the soil, creating the
underground cities, labyrinthine networks
of caves and tunnels. When times were
more settled they took out their paintbrushes
and applied colorful frescoes to
the walls of rock-cut churches, inside-out
structures that mimicked the architecture
of more conventional churches. On the
other hand, you can stop at one of the
many workshops here on the banks of
the Kızılırmak River and try fashioning a
vessel yourself with the help of an expert.
Meanwhile, one of the local architectural
masterpieces is Saruhan, a 13th century
Seljuk caravanserai.
Avanos’s next door neighbor Çavuşin with
its rock-cut houses and historic temples
will offer you pleasant hours of sightseeing.
And Kızılçukur Valley further along the
road through Çavuşin is a favorite spot for
Cappadocia sunset and full moon outings.
Paşabağı Valley with its exceptionally beautiful
fairy chimneys and Zelve, famous for
its open air museum, are two more major
sightseeing venues in the vicinity. But now
the traditional way of life is dangling by a
thread. The once damp and undesirable
cave houses in which generations of Cappadocians
had grown up are increasingly
being turned into bijou boutique hotels. All
over Cappadocia, from remote villages like
Cemil, Taşkınpaşa and Şahinefendi to more
central ones such as Uçhisar, Çavuşin and
Ürgüp, visitors can now stay in cave hotels
designed to let them try on the troglodytic
lifestyle for themselves.
GRACEFUL MANSIONS
The region’s oldest and most elegant
stone houses meanwhile are at Sinasos
five kilometers from Uçhisar. You won’t
be able to take your eyes off these
centuries-old structures as you tour
the historic settlement, known today as
Mustafapaşa. Attracting notice recently
for its comfortable small hotels, Sinasos’s
graceful mansions, garden houses
and local cuisine will intrigue you. A little
further on, Gomeda Valley with its magnificent
natural setting reminiscent of a
film set is another must on your sightseeing
list. Like Ihlara, the area’s geological
treasure, this valley promises hours of
enjoyable hiking. And now, for perhaps
the most exciting part of any Cappadocia
tour. We decide to look for some of the
many underground cities carved in the
soft tufa stone, of which there are some
two hundred large and small in the area.
The largest is Derinkuyu, said to have at
one time sheltered some twenty thousand
people.
Two more among the underground cities,
most of which are open to visitors, are
Özkonak north of Avanos and Kaymaklı,
19 kilometers south of Nevşehir. In sum,
there is no shortage of places to see in
the region, so be sure to budget your
time and energy. What else? Well, taking
long strolls among the shapely, trees
blossom covered fairy chimneys, staying
overnight in a real cave house carved out
by human hands, gazing at the stars from
a deserted terrace, eating breakfast as
dawn stains the valleys crimson, hunting
for traces of human settlement in the
miraculous labyrinths of the underground
cities... Reasons are rife for you to delve
into the soul of Cappadocia and become
passionately attached.
Nisan / Mayıs / Haziran | 2019
April / May / June
23