|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SIGHTSEENG IN CAPPADOCIA
|
|
|
|
NEVSEHIR
|
: |
Nevsehir ancient name was "Nyssa", but in the
Ottoman period it was renamed "Muskara". The son
in law of Sultan Ahmet III, the Ottoman Grand
Vizier Ibrahim Pasha was born in Nevsehir and
therefore took a great interest in its
construction. The small village with 18 houses,
once under the administration of Ürgüp, was
transformed with the building of mosques,
fountains, schools, soup kitchens, inns and bath
houses, and its name was changed from Muskara to
Nevsehir, which means New City |
|
|
|
Damat Ibrahim Pasha Kulliyesi
|
: |
Kursunlu mosque, situated in the Damat IIbrahim
Pasha complex, was completed in 1726. The mosque,
which is situated in the centre of a court with
three gates, has an elegant minaret 44m in height.
The name" Kursunlu" comes from the sheets of lead
covering the main dome. Most of the internal
decorations consist of floral motifs. A Madrasah,
library, soup kitchen and a bath house are
contained in the same complex.
The citadel found on the highest point of the city
was constructed in the Seljuk Period to defend and
protect the caravan trails. |
|
 |
|
The Museum of Nevsehir
|
: |
Nevsehir Museum was opened to public in the
medrese building, a part of the complex of Damat
Ibrahim Pasha Kulliye in 1967 and was moved to its
present location, the Cultural Centre, in 1987.
The objects are displayed in two sections;
archaeological and ethnographic. The artefacts in
the archaeological section are from the Neolithic,
Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages and from the Phrygian,
Urartian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine
civilizations. In addition to these, pieces from
Iran, Mesopotamia and Cyprus are also on display.
In the ethnographic section, oil lamps, written
works, weapons, local garments, handicraft,
carpets and kilims belonging to the Ottoman Period
and the early years of the Turkish Republic can be
seen. |
|
 |
|
GOREME (Matiana/Maccan/Avcilar)
|
: |
Goreme, situated 10 km from Nevsehir, is found in
the area surrounded with valleys, within the
Nevsehir-Ürgüp-Avanos triangle. The old names for
Goreme are Korama, Matiana, Maccan and Avcilar.
Since Goreme was referred as Korama in the
earliest written document known from the 6th
century, it is thought that that is the oldest
name given to the place. In that document, it is
said that St. Hieron was born in Korama at the end
of the 3rd century, was martyred in Melitene
(modern Malatya) with his 30 friends and his hand
was cut off and sent to his mother in Korama. A
very big depiction of St. Hieron of Korama is
found in the Tokali (Buckle) Church in Goreme Open
Air Museum.
|
|
 |
|
SIGHTSEEING
|
|
|
|
It is believed that Goreme and its surroundings
were used as a necropolis by the people of Vanessa
(Avanos) in the Roman Periods. Both the monumental
twin pillared Roman tomb hollowed out into a fairy
chimney in the centre of Goreme and the presence
of numerous tombs in the vicinity support that
idea.
Goreme, an important Christian centre in the early
years of the Middle Ages, was a bishopric
administered by Mokissos near Aksaray in the 11th
and 13th centuries. Despite the vast number of
monasteries, churches and chapels in the vicinity
of Goreme, there are not many inscriptions bearing
dates. For this reason, these religious buildings
are mainly dated according to the iconography or
architectural features. |
|
|
|
GOREME OPEN AIR
MUSEUM
|
: |
By the end of the 2nd century a large Christian
community had formed in Cappadocia. It is known
that there were two bishoprics at that time; one
in Kayseri, which, for a long time, continued to
be a Christian centre in the region and the other
in Malatya.
In the 3rd century, priests with good character
changed the region into a lively centre of
Christian activity. In the 4th century Cappadocia
became known as the land of the three saints; St.
Basil the Great, Bishop of Kayseri; his brother
St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. George of Nazianzus.
These three men created a new unity in Christian
thought, and many of St. Basil's thoughts and
actions are still important today. An example of
his doctrine is the advice to Christian with one
piece of bread in a famine. He said that the
Christians should give half of the bread to a
fellow believer and trust in God to take care of
him. St. Basil founded small, secluded settlements
not too far away from villages and towns. Daily
worship was carried out under the supervision of a
preacher. These groups were not; however,
privileged groups separated from the community
like similar communities in Egypt and Syria. St.
Basil is important in that he introduced worship
within the community. He was not at all bigoted.
Goreme Open Air Museum is the place where this
kind of religious education was started. The same
model was then introduced in Soganli, Ihlara and
Açiksaray.
|
|
 |
|
URGUP
|
: |
One of the most important centres in Cappadocia is
Urgup, 20km to the east of Nevsehir. Urgup was an
important settlement in the Seljuk period, when it
was called "Bashisar". The marble fountains and
inscriptions found on the streets and in the
squares of Urgup, were ordered by Damat Ibrahim
Pasha. The epitaphs on the fountains were written
by various poets, and carved by prominent stone
masons of Istanbul. Records from the 19th century
mention 70 mosques, 5 churches and 11 libraries in
Urgup.
Examples of Seljuk and Ottoman architecture in
Urgup are the "Alti Kapili Turbe" (tomb with 6
doors), the Kiliçarslan tomb, the Taskin Pasa
Medrese, and the mosque and tomb in Taskinpasa
village.
The nearby valleys of Pancarlik, Uzengi and Keslik,
are important historical and natural treasures. |
|
 |
|
SIGHTSEEING
|
|
UCHISAR |
: |
Uchisar is situated at the highest point in the
region, on the Nevsehir-Goreme road, just 7 km
from Nevsehir. It is not known when Uchisar was
first inhabited , however, in style, it resembles
Ortahisar and the Selime Kalesi (castle) in the
Ihlara Region.
The top of the citadel provides a magnificent
panorama of the surrounding area. Many rooms
hollowed out into the rock are connected to each
other with stairs, tunnels and passages. At the
entrances of the rooms, there are millstone doors,
just like the ones in the underground settlements,
used to control access to these places. Due to the
erosion in places of this multi-leveled castle, it
is unfortunately not possible to reach all the
rooms.
The fairy chimneys to the west, east and north of
Uchisar were hollowed out and used as graves
during the Roman period. Inside these rock cut
tombs, the entrances of which generally face west,
are klines or stone slabs on which the bodies were
laid. Many rock cut churches have been discovered
not only on the skirts of the castle but also
inside it. The reason for this may be the fact
that Goreme, having numoreus churches and
monasteries, is very close to Uchisar. The simple
Byzantine graves on top of the castle are not very
interesting due to the fact that they have been
eroded and ransacked. It is said that in towns
with citadels, e.g. Uchisar, Ortahisar and Ürgüp (Bashisar),
long defense tunnels reached far into the
surrounding areas. However, since the tunnels have
collapsed in places, this theory cannot be
confirmed, but is a popular myth as to the great
distances they cover. |
|
 |
|
MUSTAFA PASA (Sinasos)
|
: |
Mustafapasa, 6km to the south of Urgup, was
inhabited by Greek Orthodox families until the
beginning of the 20th century. The houses dating
back to the end of the 19th and beginning of the
20th centuries display fine examples of stonework.
Gomede valley, to the west of Mustafapasa,
resembles a small version of the Ihlara Canyon. As
at Ihlara, the walls of the valley house churches
and shelters carved from the rock, and a river
runs through the valley.
The important churches and monasteries around
Mustafapasa are, the Church of Aios Vasilos, the
Church of Constantine-Elene, Churches in the
Monastery Valley and, the Church of St. Basil and
Alakara in Gomede valley.
There is also a Medrese built during the Ottoman
period and displaying fine examples of stone
masonry and woodcraft. |
|
 |
|
SIGHTSEEING
|
|
AVANOS
|
: |
The ancient name of the town of Avanos, which lies
18km to the northeast of Nevsehir, was Vanessa.
The main economic activity in the town is pottery,
a craft dating back to the Hittite period. The
red clay, which is worked by local craftsmen,
comes from the residue in the Kizilirmak river. |
|
 |
|
ORTAHISAR |
: |
Ortahisar citadel, built both as a defense and as
a settlement, is situated 6km from Ürgüp, on the
road to Nevsehir. Typical examples of the area's
civilian architecture can be found among the
houses skirting the citadel. The sides of the
valleys are littered with carved out storage areas
used for preserving local products such as apples
and potatoes, as well as oranges and lemons
brought from the Mediterranean.
Very interesting churches and monasteries can be
found in the surrounding valleys. Among these are,
Sarica church, Cambazli church, Tavsanli church,
Balkan Deresi church and Hallac Dere monastery
|
|
 |
| AKSARAY |
: |
Aksaray is
built at the base of Mt. Hasan, on a large plain
at a central crossing point for roads leading in
all directions. It derives its name from the
Cappadocian King, Archelaos and was an important
town especially in the Roman Period. The name was
changed to Aksaray by the Seljuks in the 11th
century.
Important buildings include the 15th century
Ulucami, Kizil Minare (Egri Minare), considered to
be the oldest piece of Seljuk work, and the
Madrasah of Zinciriye. Ihlara Canyon and
Güzelyurt, some of the important areas in
Cappadocia, are within the borders of the province
of Aksaray. |
|
|
SIGHTSEEING
|
|
IHLARA CANYON
|
: |
This valley is situated 40km from Aksaray and can
be reached making a turn at the 11th km of the
Aksaray-Nevsehir road.
The canyon was created by the cracking and
collapsing which occurred as a result of basalt
and andesite lava from Mt. Hasandag’s eruption.
The Melendiz river found its way through these
cracks, eroding the canyon bed and helping to form
canyon we see today. The Melendiz river used to
be called "Potamus Kapadukus"meaning the River of
Cappadocia.
The 14km long, 100 -150m high valley begins at
Ihlara and ends at Selime. There are numerous
dwellings, churches and graves built into the
valley walls, some of which are connected by
tunnels and corridors.
The valley proved to be an ideal place for the
seclusion and worship of monks, and a hideaway and
defense area for people during times of invasion.
The decorations in the churches can be dated to
various times from the 6th to the 13th centuries,
and the churches can be classified into two groups.
The churches near to Ihlara display frescoes with
oriental influence. Those nearer to Belisirma
display Byzantine type decorations.
Very few Byzantine inscriptions in this area can
be read. Above a 13th century fresco in the
church of St. George (Kirkdamatl), the names of
Seljuk Sultan Mesud II (1282 - 1305) and the
Byzantine Emperor Andronicos II are inscribed.
This is proof of the tolerance of the Seljuk
rulers. The best preserved frescos are to be found
in the churches of Agacalti, Purenliseki, Kokar,
Yilanli and Kirkdamatli |
|
 |
|
GUZELYURT
|
: |
Guzelyurt is 45km from Aksaray and 15km from
Ihlara. With its beautiful nature and 19th
century architecture it is an important place for
visitors to Cappadocia.
Gregory of Nazianzus, who worked hard to spread
Christianity in the area, turned Guzelyurt into an
important centre. Churches found in Güzelyurt are,
Yüksek, Kizil, Silvisli, Ahmatli and Koc.
Guzelyurt also boasts a church built in 1891, now
used as a mosque. |
|
 |
|
THE MONASTERY OF GUMUSLER |
: |
This is a monastery church carved from the rock in
Gumusler, 8km to the northeast of Nigde, 4 km
from the Nigde-Kayseri road. This 10th century
monastery is entered via a vaulted door. The
church is situated to the north side of the
courtyard, while rooms carved from the rock line
the rest of the courtyard. The church is built on
a closed cruciform plan, and has a central dome,
four columns, cross vaults and three apses.
Scenes: Nativity and Presentation of Jesus
in the Temple scenes are quite articulated. On the
apse there are Deesis and the Apostles, several
portraits of Mary, portraits of saints and angels.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|