Cappadocia tourCappadocia Hotels, Urgup, Nevsehir, Goreme

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Cappadocia occupies the centre of Turkey, the region between the Black Sea in the north and the Taurus Mountains, between the capital Ankara and the city of Malatya to the east. Famous for its spectacular natural rock formations and valleys, Goreme National Park, as it is known today, is strewn with underground cities, stone chapels, monasteries and dwellings that were hewn out of the weirdly eroded volcanic rock from as long ago as 400 BC. Cappadocia is one of the most important tourist centers of Turkey, with its unique geological formations. The forces of erosion and wind shaped the tuff (volcanic ash) into fantastic shapes (cones, pyramids, columns, mushrooms, animals etc.) known as "Peribacalar" or "Fairy Chimneys" and sculpted out breathtaking valleys. Steep canyons of andesite and basalt join these valleys to the plateau. Soganli and Ihlara are canyons in this mold, attaining a depth of 200m in places. Cappadocia was already settled in ancient times. Neolithic settlements discovered at Hacilar, Canhasan and Catalhoyuk date back as far as ten thousand years! Sometime around 1900 B.C. a folk arrived in the land of the Hatti. They called themselves the Hittites. Because of the Hittites, who were excellent breeders and trainers of horses, the area became known as "Katpatuka" or "Land of the Beautiful Horses". Near here you can visit the Hittite cities of Hattusas, Alacahoyuk, Yazilikaya and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (Ankara). Early Christians seeking refuge from the world's distractions in wild remote areas came here to pray, fast and to do penance. In the 4th century A.D., three prominent Cappadocian saints made the area one of the earliest major centers of Christian religious life in the world. They were St. Basil the Great, Gregory of Naziansus (Nigde) and Gregory of Nyssa (Nevsehir).

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