ARTTOURS PRIVATE 3 DAYS TOUR (ART-A7) Cappadocia
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ARTTOURS PRIVATE 3 DAYS TOUR (ART-A7) Cappadocia 2 Nights-3 Days- Boutique hotel B/B accomodation Min. two persons, Private car for visits You can select your restaurants or we can recommend PRICE: To be given, including, domestic flights, transfers, museum entrance, tips according to with/without guide. %10 discount over 10 persons ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The lava and ash which spewed from Mt. Erciyes, Mt. Hasan and Mt. Güllü sixty million years ago formed soft layers of rock, which were then eroded by wind and rain over millions of years to form the region of Cappadocia, which today charms the entire world. The locals gave this unique and magical place a nickname:the fairy chimneys. Cappadocia features a unique beauty that combines nature and history. Humans have used the fairy chimneys as dwellings throughout history, carving them into homes and places of worship that still bear the traces of thousands of years of civilization. Cappadocia is a kingdom that was established in Central Anatolia after the death of Alexander the Great and in Persian it means “land of beautiful horses.” The valleys in the region all run into the Red River (Kızılırmak) and the castle at Uçhisar is like an eye on a hill keeping watch over the long valleys of Cappadocia and the fairy chimneys. The region that is today known as Cappadocia consists of Aksaray's Ihlara Valley, the Göreme National Park and Underground Cities in Nevşehir and the Soğanlı Valley in Kayseri. Cappadocia region also gives unique accommodation alternatives to travellers such as staying in a real fairy chimney or hand made stone houses. UCHİSAR Uçhisar Castle is the summit where Cappadocia mingles with the clouds; it is the tallest fairy chimney. When you reach the summit of the castle, all the beauty of Cappadocia is laid at your feet, everything from Mt. Erciyes to the Hasan Mountains, from Pigeon Valley to Avanos, from the Ortahisar castle to the town of Göreme. The numerous hollowed-out containers, rock tombs, and a large water cistern all welcome you as silent witnesses to history and human life. It is the perfect place to watch the fantastic hues of red on Mt. Erciyes at sunset, the tranquil, living breath of the valleys and the rainbow of color offered by earth and sky IHLARA VALLEY Ihlara valley has been formed at an approximate depth of 150 due that the erosion made by Melendiz river to the volcanic rocks. Due that the richness of the watering possibility and its hidden form and easily to hide structure it was the first settlement place of the first Christians escaping from the Roman soldiers. In the Ihlara Valley, there are hundreds of antic churches caved in the volcanic rocks. The most known Ihlara valley churches are Agacalti Church with cross plan, Sümbüllü Church, Pürenliseki Church, Kokar Church, Yilanli Church, Karagedik Church, Kirkdamatli Church, Direkli Church, Ala Church, Kemerli Church and Egritas Church. KAYMAKLI UNDERGROUND CITY There are several underground cities at Cappadocia each having multiple layers and ten’s of kilometers long. Kaymaklı underground city is the widest of Cappadocia region and built under the hill known as the Citadel of Kaymakli and was opened to visitors in 1964. The people of Kaymakli (Enegup in Greek) village have constructed their houses around nearly one hundred tunnels of the underground city. The inhabitants of the region still use the most convenient places in the tunnels as cellars, storage areas and stables, which they access through their courtyards. The Kaymakli Underground city consists of 8 floors below ground, only 4 of them are open to the public today, in which the spaces are organized around ventilation shafts. The first floor of the underground city is the stable. The small size of this area suggests that there could be other stables in sections that have not yet been opened. The passage to the left of the stable contains a millstone door and leads into the church. The most important areas of the underground city are on the 3rd floor. Besides numerous storage places, wineries and kitchen, the block of andesite with relief-texture found on this floor is very interesting. Recent research has proved that this stone was used as a melting pot for copper. The copper brought to the Kaymakli Underground City was probably dug from a quarry between Aksaray and Nevsehir. There are a lot of storage rooms and places to put earthenware jars in the wineries on the 4th floor. The ventilation shaft can also be seen from the 4th floor. It is a vertical well and passes all floors down like on the elevator in an apartment. The depth of the ventilation shaft is about 80 meters in total. Even though the whole city has not been completely opened, it is accepted as the widest underground city of Cappadocia, among the explored ones. The number of the storage rooms in such a small area supports the idea that a great number of people resided here. Archeologists think that this could have been up to 3500 people. MORE DISCOVERY BALLOON: One of the best ways to discover this magic land is flying over Cappadocia in a hot air balloon. Cappadocia is the only place in Turkey where you can do a balloon flight. Flying over fairy chimneys, deep canyons and valleys will be one of the most unforgettable experiences of your lifetime. You will feel the freedom on this journey. Early morning tens of Balloons flies over dreamland… WINES: Archaeologists and historians estimate that wine production began in this region around 4000 B.C.E. (Before the Common Era), making it over 6000 years old. Also, legend has it that Dionysus, the God of Wine, was born in the Aegean region of Turkey. The mineral-laden volcanic soil is very fertile and Cappadocia is a prime agricultural region with many fruit orchards and vineyards. Every year in October an International Wine Festival is held in Urgup the center of a successful wine producing region. Several small wineries in Cappadocia organize this wine tasting event. We can visit some wineries and see the cave cellars and taste their wines. POTTERY:The red, iron-ore bearing clay deposited by the longest river in Turkey, called “Kizilirmak”, or "Red River", is known to classical scholars as "The Halys". It has been used to make pottery in Avanos for thousands of years. During the second millennium BCE, Avanos was inhabited by Assyrian traders, and it was later taken over by the Hittites, who called the river the "Marassantiya". Some of the techniques and designs used by potters today date back to this period. At one time every house had a potter’s wheel, and no family would give their daughter in marriage if the groom could not make pots! Today, the best of the ceramics and tiles on sale in Istanbul and other major cities are from here. You can watch potters spinning their traditional kick-wheels with their feet, and even try throwing a pot yourself .