| CAPPADOCIA SIGHTSEEING |
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| NEVSEHIR |
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Nevsehir ancient name was "Nyssa", but in the Ottoman period it was renamed "Muskara". The son in law of Sultan Ahmet III, the Ottoman Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha was born in Nevsehir and therefore took a great interest in its construction. The small village with 18 houses, once under the administration of rig, was transformed with the building of mosques, fountains, schools, soup kitchens, inns and bath houses, and its name was changed from Muskara to Nevsehir, which means New City. |
| Damat Ibrahim Pasha Kulliyesi |
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Kursunlu mosque, situated in the Damat IIbrahim Pasha complex, was completed in 1726. The mosque, which is situated in the centre of a court with three gates, has an elegant minaret 44m height. The name" Kursunlu" comes from the sheets of lead covering the main dome. Most of the internal decorations consist of floral motifs. A Madrasah, library, soup kitchen and a bath house are contained in the same complex.
The citadel found on the highest point of the city was constructed in the Seljuk Period to defend and protect the caravan trails. |
| The Museum of Nevsehir |
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Nevsehir Museum was opened to public in the medrese building, a part of the complex of Damat Ibrahim Pasha Kulliye in 1967 and was moved to its present location, the Cultural Centre, in 1987.
The objects are displayed in two sections; archaeological and ethnographic. The artifacts in the archaeological section are from the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages and from the Phrygian, Urartian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine civilizations. In addition, pieces from Iran, Mesopotamia and Cyprus are also on display. In the ethnographic section, oil lamps, written works, weapons, local garments, handicraft, carpets and kilims belonging to the Ottoman Period and the early years of the Turkish Republic can be seen. |
| GOREME (Matiana/Maccan/Avcilar) |
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Goreme, situated 10 km from Nevsehir, is found in the area surrounded with valleys, within the Nevsehir-rgp-Avanos triangle. The old names for Goreme are Korama, Matiana, Maccan and Avcilar. Since Goreme was referred as Korama in the earliest written document known from the 6th century, it is thought that that is the oldest name given to the place. In that document, it is said that St. Hieron was born in Korama at the end of the 3rd century, was martyred in Melitene (modern Malatya) with his 30 friends and his hand was cut off and sent to his mother in Korama. A very big depiction of St. Hieron of Korama is found in the Tokali (Buckle) Church in Goreme Open Air Museum.
It is believed that Goreme and its surroundings were used as a necropolis by the people of Vanessa (Avanos) in the Roman Periods. Both the monumental twin pillared Roman tomb hollowed out into a fairy chimney in the centre of Goreme and the presence of numerous tombs in the vicinity support that idea.
Goreme, an important Christian centre in the early years of the Middle Ages, was a bishopric administered by Mokissos near Aksaray in the 11th and 13th centuries. Despite the vast number of monasteries, churches and chapels in the vicinity of Goreme, there are not many inscriptions bearing dates. For this reason, these religious buildings are mainly dated according to the iconography or architectural features. |
| GOREME OPEN AIR MUSEUM |
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By the end of the 2nd century a large Christian community had formed in Cappadocia. It is known that there were two bishoprics at that time; one in Kayseri, which, for a long time, continued to be a Christian centre in the region and the other in Malatya.
In the 3rd century, priests with good character changed the region into a lively centre of Christian activity. In the 4th century Cappadocia became known as the land of the three saints; St. Basil the Great, Bishop of Kayseri; his brother St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. George of Nazianzus. These three men created a new unity in Christian thought, and many of St. Basil's thoughts and actions are still important today. An example of his doctrine is the advice to Christian with one piece of bread in a famine. He said that the Christians should give half of the bread to a fellow believer and trust in God to take care of him. St. Basil founded small, secluded settlements not too far away from villages and towns. Daily worship was carried out under the supervision of a preacher. These groups were not; however, privileged groups separated from the community like similar communities in Egypt and Syria. St. Basil is important in that he introduced worship within the community. He was not at all bigoted.
Goreme Open Air Museum is the place where this kind of religious education was started. The same model was then introduced in Soganli, Ihlara and Aksaray. |
| URGUP |
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One of the most important center in Cappadocia is Urgup, 20km to the east of Nevsehir. Urgup was an important settlement in the Seljuk period, when it was called "Bashisar". The marble fountains and inscriptions found on the streets and in the squares of Urgup, were ordered by Damat Ibrahim Pasha. The epitaphs on the fountains were written by various poets, and carved by prominent stone masons of Istanbul. Records from the 19th century mention 70 mosques, 5 churches and 11 libraries in Urgup.
Examples of Seljuk and Ottoman architecture in Urgup are the "Alti Kapili Turbe" (tomb with 6 doors), the Kiliarslan tomb, the Taskin Pasa Medrese, and the mosque and tomb in Taskinpasa village.
The nearby valleys of Pancarlik, Uzengi and Keslik, are important historical and natural treasures. |
| UCHISAR |
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Uchisar is situated at the highest point in the region, on the Nevsehir-Goreme road, just 7 km from Nevsehir. It is not known when Uchisar was first inhabited , however, in style, it resembles Ortahisar and the Selime Kalesi (castle) in the Ihlara Region.
The top of the citadel provides a magnificent panorama of the surrounding area. Many rooms hollowed out into the rock are connected to each other with stairs, tunnels and passages. At the entrances of the rooms, there are millstone doors, just like the ones in the underground settlements, used to control access to these places. Due to the erosion in places of this multi-leveled castle, it is unfortunately not possible to reach all the rooms.
The fairy chimneys to the west, east and north of Uchisar were hollowed out and used as graves during the Roman period. Inside these rock cut tombs, the entrances of which generally face west, are klines or stone slabs on which the bodies were laid. Many rock cut churches have been discovered not only on the skirts of the castle but also inside it. The reason for this may be the fact that Goreme, having numoreus churches and monasteries, is very close to Uchisar. The simple Byzantine graves on top of the castle are not very interesting due to the fact that they have been eroded and ransacked. It is said that in towns with citadels, e.g. Uchisar, Ortahisar and Urgup (Bashisar), long defense tunnels reached far into the surrounding areas. However, since the tunnels have collapsed in places, this theory cannot be confirmed, but is a popular myth as to the great distances they cover.
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| MUSTAFA PASA (Sinasos) |
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Mustafapasa, 6km to the south of Urgup, was inhabited by Greek Orthodox families until the beginning of the 20th century. The houses dating back to the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries display fine examples of stonework.
Gomede valley, to the west of Mustafapasa, resembles a small version of the Ihlara Canyon. As at Ihlara, the walls of the valley house churches and shelters carved from the rock, and a river runs through the valley.
The important churches and monasteries around Mustafapasa are, the Church of Aios Vasilos, the Church of Constantine-Elene, Churches in the Monastery Valley and, the Church of St. Basil and Alakara in Gomede valley.
There is also a Medrese built during the Ottoman period and displaying fine examples of stone masonry and woodcraft. |
| AVANOS |
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The ancient name of the town of Avanos, which lies 18km to the northeast of Nevsehir, was Vanessa.
The main economic activity in the town is pottery, a craft dating back to the Hittite period. The red clay, which is worked by local craftsmen, comes from the residue in the Kizilirmak river. |
| ORTAHISAR |
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Ortahisar citadel, built both as a defense and as a settlement, is situated 6km from Urgup, on the road to Nevsehir. Typical examples of the area's civilian architecture can be found among the houses skirting the citadel. The sides of the valleys are littered with carved out storage areas used for preserving local products such as apples and potatoes, as well as oranges and lemons brought from the Mediterranean.
Very interesting churches and monasteries can be found in the surrounding valleys. Among these are, Sarica church, Cambazli church, Tavsanli church, Balkan Deresi church and Hallac Dere monastery |
| AKSARAY |
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Aksaray is built at the base of Mt. Hasan, on a large plain at a central crossing point for roads leading in all directions. It derives its name from the Cappadocian King, Archelaos and was an important town especially in the Roman Period. The name was changed to Aksaray by the Seljuks in the 11th century.
Important buildings include the 15th century Ulucami, Kizil Minare (Egri Minare), considered to be the oldest piece of Seljuk work, and the Madrasah of Zinciriye. Ihlara Canyon and Güzelyurt, some of the important areas in Cappadocia, are within the borders of the province of Aksaray. |
| IHLARA CANYON |
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This valley is situated 40km from Aksaray and can be reached making a turn at the 11th km of the Aksaray-Nevsehir road.
The canyon was created by the cracking and collapsing which occurred as a result of basalt and andesite lava from Mt. Hasandag’s eruption. The Melendiz river found its way through these cracks, eroding the canyon bed and helping to form canyon we see today. The Melendiz river used to be called "Potamus Kapadukus"meaning the River of Cappadocia.
The 14km long, 100 -150m high valley begins at Ihlara and ends at Selime. There are numerous dwellings, churches and graves built into the valley walls, some of which are connected by tunnels and corridors.
The valley proved to be an ideal place for the seclusion and worship of monks, and a hideaway and defense area for people during times of invasion.
The decorations in the churches can be dated to various times from the 6th to the 13th centuries, and the churches can be classified into two groups. The churches near to Ihlara display frescoes with oriental influence. Those nearer to Belisirma display Byzantine type decorations.
Very few Byzantine inscriptions in this area can be read. Above a 13th century fresco in the church of St. George (Kirkdamatl), the names of Seljuk Sultan Mesud II (1282 - 1305) and the Byzantine Emperor Andronicos II are inscribed. This is proof of the tolerance of the Seljuk rulers. The best preserved frescos are to be found in the churches of Agacalti, Purenliseki, Kokar, Yilanli and Kirkdamatli |
| GUZELYURT |
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Guzelyurt is 45km from Aksaray and 15km from Ihlara. With its beautiful nature and 19th century architecture it is an important place for visitors to Cappadocia.
Gregory of Nazianzus, who worked hard to spread Christianity in the area, turned Guzelyurt into an important centre. Churches found in Guzelyurt are, Yuksek, Kizil, Silvisli, Ahmatli and Koc. Guzelyurt also boasts a church built in 1891, now used as a mosque. |
| THE MONASTERY OF GUMUSLER |
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This is a monastery church carved from the rock in Gumusler, 8km to the northeast of Nigde, 4 km from the Nigde-Kayseri road. This 10th century monastery is entered via a vaulted door. The church is situated to the north side of the courtyard, while rooms carved from the rock line the rest of the courtyard. The church is built on a closed cruciform plan, and has a central dome, four columns, cross vaults and three apses.
Scenes: Nativity and Presentation of Jesus in the Temple scenes are quite articulated. On the apse there are Deesis and the Apostles, several portraits of Mary, portraits of saints and angels. |
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