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NEVŞEHİR
Area: 5.467
km²
 The
province of Nevşehir is one of the major cities of Cappadoccia
Region and displays a beautiful combination of nature and
history. The geographic movements had formed the fairy chimneys
and during the historical development process, mankind had
settled and inhabited these natural wonders, fairy chimneys and
carved houses and churches inside these formations and adorned
these settlements with frescos, carrying the traces of the
thousands of years of their civilizations.
The settlement and inhabitance history of the province extends
to the date BC 3000 years and hosted numerous settlement places
and civilizations until the prehistoric periods. The city was
remembered with the name, Cappadoccian Kingdom in history. The
province and the surrounding region had been under the reign of
Hittites, Persians, Macedonians, Selevkosians, Romans, Byzantine,
Seljukians, Dulkadirogullari and Ottomans.
ANCIENT CITIES
 Mustafapaşa
It is located 6 km south of Ürgüp district. The Gömede Valley
which is located at the west of Mustafapaşa is a miniature
similitude of the Ihlara Valley from the geomorphologic aspect.
The valley hosts the rock carved churches, shelters and a creek
flowing through the valley as is at the Ihlara valley.
 Ihlara
Valley The valley is located at 40 km. distance to the
Aksaray district of Nevşehir. Reaching to the valley is possible
via the road separation which is at the 11th km. of the Aksaray
- Nevşehir highway. The valley was formed from the appearance of
cracks and collapses formed from the cooling of the molten lava
coming from the Hasandagı Mountain and this lava had intensely
contain basalt and andesite contents. The valley had attained
the today's formation by the assistance of the Melendiz Creek
which flows through these cracks and this creek was named as 'Potamus
Kapadukus" during the first ages of historic period which means
"the river of Cappadoccia". The valley with 14 km. length begins
from Ihlara borough and ends at Selime borough. The depth of the
valley occasionally extends to 100 -150 meters. There are
numerous shelters, burial grounds and churches carved into the
rocky surface of the valley. Some of these shelters and churches
are connected to each other with tunnels as is encountered at
the underground cities.
AVANOS
 The
old city of Avanos overlooks the longest river the Turkey, the
Kızılırmak (Red River), which also separates it from the rest of
Cappadocia. Located 18 km north of Nevsehir, the ancient name of
this city used to be Venessa. The most famous historical feature
of Avanos, which is still relevant and very visible today, is
its production of earthenware pottery. The ceramic trade in this
district and its countless pottery factories date right back to
the Hittites, and the ceramic clay from the red silt of the
Kızılırmak has always been used. It is a popular destination
because of its attractive old town with cobbled streets, and
superb views over the river.
Zelve
About 5 km from Avanos and 1 km from Pasabaglari, Zelve was
founded on the steep northern slopes of Aktepe. Consisting of
three separate valleys, the ruins of Zelve is the area with the
most 'fairy chimneys' - a famous sight special to Cappadocia -
which here have sharp points and thick trunks. It is not known
exactly when people began living in the dwellings carved into
the rock, found in places like Uchisar, Goreme, Cavusin and
Zelve. What is known is that Zelve was an important Christian
community and religious centre in the 9th and 13th centuries,
and the first religious seminars for priests were held in the
vicinity.
Çavuşin (Nicephorus
Phocas) Church
It is beside the Göreme-Avanos road 2.5 km out of Göreme. The
narthex of this church has fallen down. It has tunnel vaults, a
high nave and 3 apses. It dates back to 964-965 AD.
Güllüdere (St.
Agathangelus) Church
It is located in the far left draw of the Güllüdere valley about
2 km from the village of Çavuşin. It was founded at the mouth of
the draw on top of a steep slope.
The design of the nave is square with a flat ceiling and it has
a single broad apse. The apse was added in the 9th or 10th
century to the main structure dating back to the 6th - 7th
century. There are 2 or 3 layers of frescoes in the apse which
indicates that it was painted regularly. Symbols of Gospel
authors are drawn symmetrically and are sitting on the right and
left of an enthroned Jesus.
In
the middle of the flat ceiling is the relief of a cross in the
middle of a circle surrounded with palm leaves and garlands.
This sort of relief most likely belongs to the Iconoclastic
period. The people of the area had a great love for the cross
and it continued to be used as a motif after the Iconoclastic
era because it symbolized the "Holy Cross" in Jerusalem.
Özkonak
Underground City
Located 14 km northeast of Avanos, this underground city was
built on the northern slopes of Mt. Idis in an area with lots of
strata made up of volcanic granite. The extensive galleries of
the city are spread out over a large area and connected to each
another by tunnels. Unlike the underground cities in Kaymakli
and Derinkuyu, there are very narrow (5 cm) and long holes
between the different levels of the city that used to provide
communication between the different levels of the city. The
ventilation of these neatly carved out rooms was provided by
these holes when the city was sealed up against enemies.
The city was discovered in 1972 by the local muezzin and farmer
Latif Acar, when trying to find out where the water disappeared
to when tending to his crops. He first found an underground room
which, when later excavated, revealed a whole city which housed
an incredible 60,000 people for up to three months. A total of
10 floors were discovered, to a depth 40m, although now only
four are open.
Unlike the other underground cities in this area, besides the
rolling stone doors, there were holes above the tunnels used for
dumping hot oil on the enemy. Similar to Kaymakli and Derinkuyu,
Ozkonak has a ventilation system, a water well, a winery and
rolling stone doors.
ÜRGÜP
 Ürgüp,
20 km east of Nevsehir, is one of the most important centres of
the Cappadocia region. Like Goreme, it had numerous names in the
course of its history, and its cave dwellings scattered around
the village make it a very tourist-friendly destination. It has
many hotels and guest-houses, good entertainment, old Greek
houses from before the population exchange of 1923, and an
atmosphere which has remained attached to its tradition despite
a modernising tourist industry.
It is a good base to explore the nearby Goreme Valley.
History
 With
a geological structure of volcanic formations, Urgup was
established within the region which had been shaped into
fantastic forms known as ‘Fairy Chimneys’, through erosions of
water and wind. The were formed as floodwater poured down the
sides of the valleys, combined with strong winds which tore away
the softer volcanic rocks, resulting in this unique landscape.
It is an important centre in Cappadocia, and has been known by
many names: Osian (Assiana), Hagios Prokopios (Byzantine),
Bashisar (Seljuk), Burgat Kaalesi (Ottoman) and finally Urgup,
from shortly after the founding of the Turkish Republic.
Nevsehir - Göreme National Park
Location:
Goreme National Park is just outside the village of Goreme, 12km
east of Nevsehir and in the heart of Cappadocia, in Central
Anatolia.
Transportation:
Goreme village is easily accessible by road from all directions,
especially through Nevsehir. The Ankara – Adana highway
approaches from the northwest, the Aksaray – Nevsehir from the
southwest, and the Kayseri – Urgup highway from the northeast.
The national park can be reached on foot from the village.
Highlights:
The national park consists of valleys with the world-famous rock
formations of Cappadocia, the conical shaped rocks shaped over
centuries out of eroded volcanic stone, and known as Fairy
Chimneys.
In addition to the fascinating landscape formed by the volcanic
tuff and cave dwellings, there are also important Byzantine
churches, which reflect the history of religious art in that
period. Because of the geological characteristics of the area,
and the fact that it was secluded, people living here could hide
themselves away from the various battles taking place, as well
as from the authority of the central administration.
Monastery life in the area began in the 3rd and 4th centuries,
and grew quickly. There are the remains of monuments, churches,
chapels, dining halls, monk cell alcoves, depots, and wine
production places all decorated with frescos. The nearby
villages of Urgup, Avcilar, Uchisar, Cavusini and Yeni Zalve
still reflect traditional life and agricultural practices of
Goreme’s past. That, and the unique morphological structure of
Goreme, is the main attraction to the area. |
