Central Anatolia Filters: 11 properties match your filters

Cappadocia  -  [Matches:  11 properties]

Situated in the center of Turkey, Capadoccia has one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. Roughly three million years ago the volcanoes of Mt. Erciyes and Mt. Hasan erupted and covered the plateau with lava. Over the millennia, the elements have eroded the soft, volcanic stone into an incredible landscape of caves, ravines, and so-called "fairy chimneys". Inhabited for at least 4,000 years, the region’s earliest inhabitants dug dwellings in the rock to protect themselves from invaders; there were entire subterranean cities, such as those that can still be seen at Derinkuyu, Mazi, and Kaymakli. Eastern Orthodox Christians carved chapels, churches, and monasteries in the rocks, many featuring sculpted domes and columns, as well as frescoed walls. The Goreme Open Air Museum features thirty such churches, all over 1,000 years old. Nevsehir is the capital of the region, while Urgup, 20 kilometers east of Nevsehir, is a bustling tourist town and the center of a major wine-producing zone. Other fascinating destinations include the villages of Mustafapasa, Cemil, Taskinpasa, and Sahinefendi. The Pancarlik, Devrent, and Catalkaya valleys are particularly famous for their geologic formations.