Cappadocia - Kappadokien

Cappadocia is lying in TurkishCentral Anatolia.

Balloons over Goreme

places

location
Situation map of Turkey
Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Outline map of Cappadocia
  • Avanos - Pottery town
  • Çavuşin - Good starting point for hikes
  • Cemil - Small village off the tourist trail
  • Goreme - Tourist center with Unesco world cultural heritage
  • Gülşehir - There are mushroom-shaped tufa stones here
  • Güzelyurt - Picturesque village with a monastery and an underground city
  • Gülagac - Small community with lots of interesting mountains. Modern village.
  • Alanyurt - Old-fashioned village on the tourist trails with old sand caves on the hills or mountains
  • Kayseri - Airport, accessible from Germany and Istanbul, Provincial capital of the same province
  • Nevşehir- as a destination for bus travelers, provincial capital of the province of the same name
  • Mustafapaşa - Beautiful Greek houses in the former Sinasos
  • Ortahisar - Small place with a rock castle
  • Şahinefendi - Small village on the ruins of the Roman city of Sebastos
  • Soğanlı - Remote village with many cave churches
  • Uçhisar - Small place with a rock castle
  • Urgup - Known for good wines
  • Zelve - Village in the tuff that was only abandoned in 1953
  • Underground cities in Kaymaklı, Derinkuyu, Acıgöl, Tatlarin, Özkonak or Mazıköy

Other goals

Cappadocia is an Eldorado for hiking. Many valleys and mountains (see activities) invite you to do so.

background

Fairy chimneys in Cappadocia

About 20 million years ago the volcanoes Erciyes Dağı, Hasan Dağı and Melendiz Dağı hurled a lot of tuff ash into the air during their numerous eruptions, which was deposited all around. The resulting layers were quite different in color and hardness. Due to the weather, the soft material was washed out and what remained was the harder, brittle material. The result is breathtaking valleys with the so-called fairy chimneys, which turn the valleys into fairytale landscapes. And the erosion is still going on. While old fairy chimneys are already collapsing in many places, be it due to weathering, earthquakes, excavation by humans or a combination of everything, in other places new fairy chimneys are still slowly being exposed by erosion.

The first documented settlements in the region date from around 5000 BC. The region first came under the Hittites in the 2nd millennium BC. To economic prosperity, since part of the clay pot production for the empire under the reign of Hattuşa was processed here in factories (see also Avanos ). Long after the collapse of the Hittite Empire, the Katpatuka region, which means the land of beautiful horses, was mentioned for the first time under Persian rule. Around 300 BC Alexander the Great conquered Nyssa and formed from the regions Nyssa (today's Nevşehir ), Nahita (today's Niğde ) and Mazaka (today's Kayseri ) the Kingdom of Cappadocia. In the 1st century BC Finally, the kingdom of Cappadocia was incorporated into the Roman Empire. Here Paul found many followers early in the 1st millennium, so that in the 2nd century. AD large parts of Cappadocia belonged to the Christian faith. In the centuries that followed, the early Christians sought and found refuge in the hidden underground cities or caves, first under persecution in the Roman Empire and later under the Arab invasions. Only around 1100, when the religiously tolerant Seljuks conquered the area, the Christians were able to live out their religion freely. In the years that followed, Christians from Armenia, Syria, Palestine and Egypt sought protection from persecution in the region. When Cappadocia was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire, the tide turned. Many monasteries were closed and more and more Muslims settled there. Many Christians left Cappadocia or converted to Islam, so that the last Christians left the region through the population exchange with Greece in 1923.

Since the 1980s, Cappadocia has become a tourist center, which is continuously being expanded. Many old churches and monasteries have already been made accessible again. The churches in the Göreme Open Air Museum have been declared a World Heritage Site.

getting there

By plane

Airports

There are airports in:

  • Kayseri/ Erkilet (ICAO code: LTAU, IATA code: ASR) - The largest airport in the region, and is operated regularly Istanbul or approached from various airports from abroad.
  • Nevşehir/ Kapadokya (ICAO code: LTAZ ) - There are only irregular flights to this airport from Spain.

Intercity buses

Bus companies: Name with headquarters in brackets:

This applies above all Nevşehir as a popular first port of call. From here there are good Dolmuş connections (regional buses) to the Cappadocian core area.

mobility

In Cappadocia there is dolmuşe (pronounced: dolmus). There are bus connections between the places, which usually run every half an hour, an hour or two hours.

There are car rentals in many places Kayseri also directly at the airport.

For more distant places, guided tours are recommended if travelers only plan to stay for three days.

Tourist Attractions

Rock dwellings in Uçhisar

Strange conical rock formations rise up in a ghostly landscape in the high mountain steppe of Cappadocia. They are tuff rocks of volcanic origin that lie on top of older rock, formed into a uniquely impressive landscape by constant erosion.

In the larger rock formations there are numerous more or less spacious caves: dwellings and churches from earlier centuries. In the Middle Ages (10th to 13th centuries) a Greek minority sought protection from Arab persecution here. The Christians dug apartments, chapels and monk cells in the tuff rock of Cappadocia. There were also dwellings here in earlier times. Several hundred thousand people are said to have found refuge in the underground cells in the 7th century. The numerous monasteries and churches combine numerous Byzantine styles of the time in their unique architecture.

The rock formations were created by now extinct volcanoes, whose lava flows cover large parts of the highlands. In addition to lava, the volcanoes also spewed out ash and solid rocks. These were washed away by the erosion and what remained was the solidified basaltic lava that forms today's rock formations.

activities

Since Cappadocia is very well developed for tourism, the possibilities for leisure activities are almost endless:

The valleys in Cappadocia are ideal for hiking

hike - Numerous valleys invite you to hikes of different lengths and degrees of difficulty. The following should be emphasized here:

But the mountains also beckon:

  • Erciyes, volcano at Kayseri for mountaineering
  • Aladağlar Milli Parkı (Taurus Mountains) at Niğde, for mountaineers

Discover - The number of churches in Cappadocia is estimated to be over 1000. However, many have collapsed or are currently being used as stables. Nevertheless, the currently accessible churches are enough to spend the entire vacation in churches. Those who are a little away from the tourist center in Goreme and can therefore be visited without the hustle and bustle of tourists. There are also a large number of above-ground and underground cities or the castles in Ortahisar or Uçhisar. Everything leaves a lasting impression. Incidentally, at the top tourist attractions it is an advantage to show up shortly after opening, at lunchtime or shortly before the respective attraction closes, because then the large groups are very rare.

horse riding - Traveling by horse in the land of beautiful horses is in Avanos, Goreme and Uçhisar possible. In Soğanlı you can also explore the valley on a donkey

Ballooning in Cappadocia

Drive a car or bike - Explore the area in a vintage car, quad or mountain bike. Everything is possible. Most of the options are certainly in Goreme. But also in the other cities like Avanos, Uçhisar or Urgup are there possibilities.

Balloon ride - This is considered to be the latest craze and the highlight of the Cappadocia vacation. Here you should choose a flight as early as possible, as the wind conditions are then the most favorable. When the wind conditions are favorable, a balloon ride through a gorge is also possible, and that is an incomparable experience. Offers can be found in Goreme, Uçhisar or Urgup.

Swimming - In Goreme, Urgup and Nevşehir there is a Turkish bath in each case. The bathroom in Goreme is only externally in a well-groomed condition, which does not affect the massage.

Culture - Whether as a participant in a cooking class of Turkish cuisine Urgup or as a spectator at the whirling dervishes in Avanos. There is something special in almost every place.

kitchen

The entire Turkish cuisine is now reflected in the cuisine of Cappadocia due to the great international tourism. Those who want particularly good food are well advised not to use this Goreme to do, as the emphasis here is on inexpensive cuisine. In Uçhisar or Urgup there are many good places to stop for a break. Here you get a good impression of the Turkish cuisine.

  • Used as a local specialty in many places Testi kebab touted. Spiced meat is cooked in a clay pot on a wooden grill. The clay pot is brought from the stove to the table, and the waiter breaks open the clay pot with a swing so that the tourists can enjoy it. Ingredients in the pot can include: lamb, beef, chicken, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and potatoes.

  • Testi kebab

Furthermore, the wines are especially recommended. Turkey's best wines come from Cappadocia. Opportunities for wine tasting and shopping can be found in Uçhisar, Urgup and Mustafapaşa.

nightlife

A varied nightlife is especially in Avanos, Goreme and Urgup commanded.

security

Good footwear and a little caution are required in the valleys. An involuntary slide usually results in painful abrasions.

In summer it is very hot here during the day. Make sure to stock up with enough water before excursion activities.

climate

JanFebMarchAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec  
Mean highest air temperature in ° C471117222730292721136O17.8
Mean lowest air temperature in ° C-5-4-2381215151061-3O4.7
Rainy days in the month755563112447Σ50

trips

literature

Cappadocia travel guide by Susanne Oberheu & Michael Wadenpohl, 3rd edition 2016, 335 pages, BoD http://www.kappadokien-reisefuehrer.com/seiten/bestellen.htmISBN 978-3-7392-3149-5

Web links

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