© LonelyPlanetPublications lost valleysofIhlaraandSo spots. outsomefurther-flung Caravanserais checking dottheroadstoseemingly is worth a goodsupplyofçay(tea) orEfes. valleys atsunset.Itwillrequire evenings ofstudyontheterrace, butyouwillgetthere with ontheaesthetic qualitiesofrocky laid-back people,youmightjustbecomeaworldexpert landscape. Stayinginvillageswhere erodingcastlesoverlook smallcommunitiesofvery Ürgüp are equallyalluring,withyetmore terraces offering sweepingviewsoftheknobbly experience cave dwellingfirsthand.The restaurants indreamy spotssuchasGöreme and neys, Cappadocia’s accommodationrates assomeofTurkey’s bestandallowsgueststo dawn hot-air balloonrideorfromapanoramichotel terrace. Alternatively,cally seccos,actually). viewthetroglodyte architecture fromfarabove ona cave churchesandsubterranean complexesantines carving tohousethousandsofpeople. erupted. The Cappadocian millenniaaddedtotheremarkable intervening canvas,withByz- rooms andafew camels–andthevalleysofcascadingcliffs were formedwhenErciyesDa of fairychimneysandunderground cities. The fairychimneys–rockcolumns,pyramids,mush- Between andNev Between Kayseri Cappadocia 494 However, betweenlingeringlooksattherockyremains ofCappadocia’s uniquehistory,it Whether it’sapensionorboutiquehideawaywithasfew roomsasithasfairychim- You couldspenddaystouringtherock-cut churchesandadmiringtheirfrescoes (techni-

„ „ „ „ „ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS

Trek throughsecludedmonasticsettlements Part thevinesandpeerintoatumbledown Drinkinthe viewsover multiplemezes in Take thetripofalifetime ina Gaspatthe outcropsdoublingascastlesin Gaze atthepigeonhousesriddlingcliffs Examinefresco-covered churchesinthe Explore Byzantinetunnels atKaymakl Güzelyurt in Greek mansionin chic balloon Uçhisar valleys and fairychimneysinGöreme’s labyrinthine So Ürgüp ğ anl (p502) 57) and (p507) (p510) ı (p531) (p523), (p517) Mustafapa Valley Ortahisar ş ehir, Central Anatolia’smountain-fringedplainsgive waytoaland ğ anl ş hot-air (p516) ı a , andformerGreek settlementssuchasMustafapa (p522) 58) and (p528) ı andDerinkuyu Göreme Open-AirMuseum underground cities lhlara Valley Kaymaklî Güzelyurt Uçhisar Ortahisar (p499) Göreme (p524) Ürgüp Mustafapaša Soÿanlî ş a. a. ğ ı

CAPPADOCIA 495 ehir’s ehir’s Talas ş Develi Sivas (190km); Malatya (344km) (3916m) Kayseri Erciyes Daÿî Yahyalî Kara Daÿî (40km) To Sultan Han (35km); Kizilören

To Mansurlu

Kapuzbašî Waterfalls River Sultan Marshes Bird Paradise (Sultan Sazlîÿî Kuš Cenneti) Gölü Yay Çöl Gölü Eÿri Gölü Dörtyol (3756m) ὅὅ ὅὅ ὅὅ ὅὅ Demirkazîk Ala Daÿlar Çukurbaÿ National Park Mt Demirkazîk Încesu Himmetdede Yešilhisar

Ovaçiftliÿi Kîzîlîrmak Bašdere 00 20 miles 40 km Aksalur Güzelöz Edikli Yešilöz Taškînpaša Šahinefendi Akköy Baraji Çamardî Çökek Ürgüp Mustafapaša Soÿanlî Sarîhan Ortahisar Ayvalî Aktepe Kešlik Bahçeli Dangers & Annoyances Dangers & Annoyances otogar (bus station), or even outside it, and except to catch left with no alternative were even We’ve taxi to Göreme. an overpriced some unscrupulous bus compa- heard of on the highway nies abandoning travellers Problems most frequently outside . between destina- occur on buses travelling boom in the 1980s kick-started a new era, boom in the 1980s kick-started a new era, most ’s and now Cappadocia is one of popular destinations. famous and A warning is needed about bus services to Many Turkey. other parts of Cappadocia from complained that although they have readers they found to Göreme, purchased tickets at Nev deposited instead themselves Sobesos Avanos Monastery Eski Gümüšler Monastery Gölcük Zelve Özkonak Topraklî Kaymaklî Kavak Göreme Çavušin Çardak Uçhisar ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ Gümüšler Nar Sulusaray Göreme Museum Derinkuyu Open-Air Niÿde (190km) To Adana Nevšehir Open Palace Özlüce Kemerhisar Boÿazî Sekkin Gülšehir Gaziemir (2143m) Hacîbektaš Bor Göllü Daÿî Acîgöl Alay Sivrihisar Hanî Güzelyurt Çiftlik River Ankara (210km) Yakatarla Ilîsu Altînhisar To Kîršehir (10km);

k ma Ihlara lîr Kozluca zî Belisîrma

î •• History CAPPADOCIA

K Hanî Selime See Ihlara Valley Map (p529) Helvadere Tepesidelik lhlara Valley Nora (3268m) Kalebalta

Melendiz Suyu Hasan Daÿî

Karkîn Hanî Aÿzîkara

Saÿlîk Cappadocia progressively lost its impor- Cappadocia progressively CAPPADOCIA Ortaköy

Tašpînar History History tance in Anatolia. Its rich past was all but past was all but tance Its rich in Anatolia. priest rediscovered until a French forgotten in 1907. The tourist the rock-hewn churches and underground cities date from this pe- cities date and underground riod. Later, under Seljuk and Ottoman rule, with tolerance. treated Christians were became a refuge for early Christians and, became a refuge from the 4th to the 11th century, Christianity monasteries most churches, flourished here; the Roman and Byzantine periods, Cappadocia kingdoms held power. Then came the Persians, Then came the Persians, kingdoms held power. followed by the Romans, who established the During Caesarea (today’s Kayseri). capital of The Hittites settled The Hittites Cappadocia (Kapadokya) from 1800 BC to 1200 BC, smaller which after lonelyplanet.com