ITINERARY

• Cappadocia is located in the center of Turkey, in the center of Anatolia. The region is mainly known for the three popular cities of Goreme, Urgup and Uchisar, but it is actually the name of the very large region that spans the cities of Nevsehir, Kirsehir, Nigde, Aksaray and Kayseri.Cappadocia region was formed 60 million years ago by erosion of soft layers of lava and ash from Mount Erciyes (Argeus), Mount Hasan and Mount Güllü composing with wind and rain over millions of years. Human settlement at the Cappadocia region dates back to the Paleolithic era
• The magnificent landscape around Goreme has been formed from its solidified lava flows, its ash stone and tuff, all dating from the Neogene period. The result of thousands of years of continuous erosion makes this area look like a lunar landscape. Fairy chimneys also come in a wide variety of colors. there are light and dark colors from white to yellow, pink, gray and black.
• At the Göreme open-air museum, your guide will explain the importance of Christianity and monastic life in Cappadocia before leaving you free to explore the 10th and 11th century cave churches and monasteries with beautiful frescoes depicting famous biblical scenes
• Ancient communities that lived in adobe houses made ceramics. Approximately five thousand years ago, the pre-pottery Neolithic period ended in Anatolia. Central Anatolian hunters and gatherers began to demand more of agriculture than of their game. More agriculture required more labor. Productivity increased with more tools. Pottery and ceramics were among the largest tools used by Neolithic communities. Before the Hittite occupation of Cappadocia, Neolithic communities used red clay from the Red River and made pottery and ceramics using the rolling technique. They made long threads by rolling the clay, and then joined together to make a plate or a jug.
• The first tourists from Cappadocia were exploring the caves carved out of the huge Pasabag fairy chimneys and heard from the locals that they were small monasteries. Since the monasteries have monks, the area was called Valley of the Monks by the region's early explorers. The locals call the area as Pasabag. Pasa means Pasha in Turkish and bag means vineyard. Some of the farmers who maintained the vineyards in the area were veterans of the Republic of Turkey's War of Independence. Pasha is the highest rank in the Ottoman army. Today, the Turks still call their veterans pasha to honor them and appreciate their efforts in battles. As a result of those farmers, the locals called the area Pasabag.
• There are several types of fairy chimneys. It is because of the volcanic nature of Cappadocia. Millions of years ago, three major volcanic mountains spewed excessive amounts of volcanic tuff. Different layers of volcanic tuff ignimbrite were created over a very long period of time. It is easy to distinguish these layers by their different colors. Volcanic rocks and sedimentary rocks lie on top of each other like layers of a cake. When rain and wind began to erode these layers, they all reacted differently to natural forces because the density of minerals within volcanic rocks and sedimentary rocks are different from one another. When the rain and wind erosion began, the harder basalt or other rock types resisted these natural forces, while the softer ignimbrites washed out faster.
• Guvercinlik Vadisi got its name from the countless man-made dovecotes that have been carved out of the soft volcanic tuff. Since ancient times, pigeons have been used in the Cappadocia region as food and fertilizer for the infertile soil. While pigeons no longer play as large a role in the area, locals still maintain their rocky homes and can be found atop rock pillars and inside cave houses and excavated churches throughout the region.
• Climbing the 120 steps to the top of the castle is a great introduction to the mountainous terrain of Cappadocia from where you can see all the valleys of the region.
• The Kaymaklı Underground City is 20 kilometers from the city of Nevşehir. The underground city was opened to visitors in 1964, it has 8 floors, but today only 4 floors can be visited. Underground cities, which have all kinds of possibilities for a society to live temporarily, consist of narrow corridors. It is on the first floor because the corridors are narrow and, most importantly, it is thought that it will be difficult for the animals to go down. It is on the first floor because the corridors are narrow and, most importantly, it is thought that it will be difficult for the animals to go down. The barns also provided access to churches and living spaces connected by many corridors. These sliding doors are approximately 1.5-2 meters in diameter and weigh approximately 500 kilograms. The most important feature of the doors, most of which are cut out, is that they can only be opened from the inside.