Cappadocia Valleys and Underground City

The region of Cappadocia is located in the middle of a once-active volcanic area of central Anatolia. Millions of years ago three of its mountains - Erciyes, Hasandağ and Güllüdağ - were active volcanoes; indeed this activity persisted intermittently at least into the Neolithic period according to the prehistoric paintings.

The volcanic eruptions were so strong that in some places the lava was up to 150m in thickness. Over many millions of years, volcanoes, wind, rain and ice sculpted the region which we now know as Cappadocia. As the landscape was eroded, basalt stones remained and formed conical structures with some reaching as high as 45m.

The local people referred to these unique rock formations "fairy chimneys", a name that has endured throughout the ages. If nature was the first artist to arrange the decor, it was Anatolian man who carved the rock and built houses, churches and over 250 underground cities out of it over the centuries.

Çavuşin, located 2km from Göreme, is one of the oldest inhabited places in the region and the fresco scenes of Çavuşin church are distinctive because of their unusual compositions. Abandoned cave village of Çavuşin is one o the remarkable spots in Cappadocia where visitors enjoy the beauty of nature.

Unlike other valleys, Devrent Valley has neither cave churches nor Roman palaces or tombs. It was never actually inhabited. What makes this lovely area is different from its lunar surface. Therefore we call moonscape Cappadocia. The Devrent Valley is only a 10-minute drive from Goreme, revealing many different rock formations. By their strange looks, the small fairy chimneys in the valley create a lunar scenery. There are also numerous animal rocks in the valley. It looks like a natural zoo of sculptures. Camel, snake, seal and dolphin are some of the most significant forms of animals if you like. Let your imagination free and you'll find many others. You may even spot a pillar of rock formation that tells you the Virgin Mary holds Jesus Christ.

On the Nevsehir - Urgup road you can't miss Ortahisar and its rock carved fortress. The churches in the Balkan Valley are some of the oldest in the Goreme region. In the neighbouring Hallac Valley, the Hallac Monastery displays decorations from the 10th and the 11th centuries. North of Ortahisar, the Kizilçukur Valley is breathtakingly beautiful especially at sunset. In the valley is the 9th century Uzumlu church.

Kaymakli, one the largest and most important underground cities in Cappadocia, has all the accommodation needed for a community to live underground. The multipurpose rooms and halls are connected to one another by narrow corridors. Turkey's Cappadocia region is famous for its subterranean safe cities carved from soft tuff. These underground cities, which are among the most interesting cultural richness of Cappadocia, take tourists from all over the world on a mysterious journey every year. The underground cities in Cappadocia, interconnected by corridors, were used as hiding places by Christians in the 7th century. These subterranean cities were self-sufficient cities with granaries, stables, rooms, kitchens and ventilation systems. The most famous underground cities uncovered until now around Cappadocia are found in Derinkuyu, Kaymakli, Tatlarin, Ozkonak, Mazi and Ozluce. Derinkuyu Underground City and Kaymakli Underground City were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.

The visit to the Valley of Guvercinlik is an excellent idea. Distance 4 kilometres to Goreme from Uchisar. There was insufficient land for agriculture for local residents of this area. They wanted to farm with high-energy lava fertiliser and dug many lava lavas at the slopes of the valley. They open the lava bucket once a year and gather the fertiliser from the pigeon bird. The most beautiful shape of the valley is the top of Uchisar 's historic castle. Well, Guvercinlik Valley, that famous for its colourful hot air balloons, is one of the best places to visit in Cappadocia. Every year millions of tourists visit the area and dream of visiting Cappadocia as a city of fantasy and legend. Yes, your dreams will come true here in this lovely region. The Guvercinlik Valley is combined with the interesting history and history of the Guvercinlik Valley which is named after a pigeon and which, from the past to the present, continues to be called "Pigeon."