Kapodokya Tour

Cappadocia region 60 million years ago; Erciyes emerged after millions of years, by the rain and wind, the soft layers formed by lava and ashes erupted by Hasan Mountain and Güllü Mountain.


Human settlement dates back to the Paleolithic period. The lands where the Hittites lived became one of the most important centers of Christianity in the later periods. The houses and churches carved into the rocks made the area a huge shelter for Christians fleeing the pressure of the Roman Empire.


Cappadocia region is a region spread especially in Nevşehir, Kırşehir, Niğde, Aksaray and Kayseri provinces.


Cappadocia region is a place where nature and history are integrated. While geographical events constituted the Fairy Chimneys, in the historical process, people carved houses and churches into these fairy chimneys and decorated them with frescoes and carried the traces of thousands of years of civilization to the present day. The written history of Cappadocia, where human settlements date back to the Paleolithic period, begins with the Hittites. Cappadocia, which has hosted trade colonies throughout history and built a commercial and social bridge between countries, is one of the important crossroads of the Silk Road.


With the collapse of the Hittite Empire in the 12th century BC, a dark period begins in the region. During this period, the late Hittite Kings, which had the effects of Assyria and Phrygia, dominated the region. These Kingdoms lasted until the Persian occupation in the 6th century BC. The name Cappadocia used today means "Land of Beautiful Horses" in the Persian language. In 332 BC Alexander the Great defeated the Persians, but faced great resistance in Cappadocia. During this period, the Kingdom of Cappadocia was established. Towards the end of the 3rd century BC, the power of the Romans began to be felt in the region. In the middle of the 1st century BC, the Kings of Cappadocia are appointed and deposed by the power of the Roman generals. A.D. When the last King of Cappadocia died in 17, the region became a province of Rome.


In the 3rd century AD, Christians came to Cappadocia and the region became an education and thought center for them. The pressure exerted on Christians between 303-308 increased. But Cappadocia is an ideal place to be protected from oppression and spread Christian teaching. The shelters carved out of deep valleys and volcanic soft rocks create a safe area against Roman soldiers.


The 4th century is the era of the people who were later called "Fathers of Cappadocia". But the importance of the region was the Roman Emperor III. It reaches its climax Leon prohibits icons. In the face of this situation, some pro-icon people take refuge in the region. The iconoclasm movement lasts more than a hundred years (726-843). During this period, although several Cappadocian churches were influenced by Iconoclasm, those who favored the icon easily worshiped here. Cappadocia monasteries develop considerably during this period.


During these periods, Arab raids started in the Christian regions of Anatolia from Armenia to Cappadocia. People who come to the region by escaping these raids cause the churches in the region to change. Cappadocia was conquered by the Seljuk Turks in the 11th and 12th centuries. During this and the subsequent Ottoman Empire, the region had a problem-free period. The last Christians in the region emigrated from Cappadocia, leaving beautiful architectural examples behind, with the exchange made due to the Lausanne Treaty between 1924-26.


TOURISM IN CAPPADOCIA

The region is of great importance in terms of tourism today. Urgup, Avanos, 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 and Zelve are the places to be seen. .


Traditional Cappadocian houses and dovecotes carved into the rocks express 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 architect material of the region, can be processed very easily since it is soft after leaving the quarry due to the volcanic structure of the region, but it turns into a very durable building material after contact with air. Due to the easy processing of the material used, the stone workmanship unique to the region has developed and has become an architectural tradition. The upper part of the doors made with arches is decorated with stylized ivy or rosette motifs. Pigeons in the region are small structures built in the late 19th century and 18th century. Some of the pigeon houses, which are important for showing Islamic painting art, were built as monasteries or churches. The surface of the pigeons is decorated with rich decorations and inscriptions by local artists. The region is also famous for its winemaking and grape growing.

Ürgüp, which is 20 km east of Nevşehir, is one of the most important centers of the Cappadocia Region. Urgup has had many different names to host many different civilizations in the historical process. Osiana (Assiana), Hagios Prokopios in the Byzantine Period; Başhisar in the Seljuk Period; Burgut Castle during the Ottoman period; It has been called Ürgüp since the first years of the republic.


Having a geological structure with a volcanic origin, Ürgüp was established in a region where rain and wind erosion occurs and where there are frequent and typical examples of interesting natural formations defined as fairy chimneys. The fairy chimneys rising between the crevices formed by the erosion of the rain water flowing from the valley slopes and then the winds have created a very interesting landscape image unique to this region.


The first settlement in Ürgüp and its vicinity is the skirts of Mount Avla in the east of Damsa Stream, whose ancient name is Tomissos. As a result of the survey conducted by British archaeologist Ian Todd, he found tools from the Paleolithic Period from a large number of obsidian and silex.


The most important remains belonging to later periods are the rock tombs belonging to the Roman Period in the towns and villages of Ürgüp. Being an important religious center in the Byzantine Period, Ürgüp was the episcopal center of rock churches and monasteries in villages, towns and valleys.


XI. In the 16th century, Ürgüp was an important castle opening to Konya and Niğde, the important cities of the Seljuks. The two buildings belonging to this period are the Altıkapılı and Temenni Hill Tombs in the city center. It belongs to a mother and two daughters and XIII. "Six Door Mausoleum", built in the 16th century, has six facades, arched windows on each facade and is open-top. One of the two tombs on the Temenni Hill of Ürgüp, Seljuk Sultan IV, built by Vecihi Pasha in 1268 and also known as "Kılıçarslan Tomb" among the people. To Rüknettin Kılıçarslan and the other to III. It is thought to belong to Alaaddin Keykubat.