Cappadocia

Cappadocia

Cappadocia is the region that emerged 60 million years ago when the soft layers formed by the lava and ashes erupted by Erciyes, Hasandağı and Göllüdağ were eroded by rain and wind over millions of years. Avanos, Ürgüp, Göreme, Akvadi, Uçhisar and Ortahisar Castles, El Nazar Church, Aynalı Church, Güvercinlik Valley, Derinkuyu, Kaymaklı, Özkonak Underground Cities, Ihlara Valley, Selime Village, Çavuşin, Güllüdere Valley, Paşabağ-Zelve Anapınar Village are the main places to see. Traditional Cappadocian houses and dovecotes carved into the rocks show the originality of the region. These houses were built on the slopes in the 19th century, either from rocks or cut stone. Stone, which is the only architectural material of the region, can be processed very easily as it is soft after being quarried due to the volcanic structure of the region, but after contact with air, it hardens and turns into a very durable building material. Due to the abundance of materials used and their easy processing, stonemasonry, which is unique to the region, has developed and become an architectural tradition. The material of both courtyard and house doors is wood. The upper part of the arched doors is decorated with stylized ivy or rosette motifs. The dovecotes in the region are small structures built in the late 19th and 18th centuries. The surfaces of the dovecotes are decorated with rich decorations and inscriptions by local artists. The region is also famous for winemaking and grape growing.