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HISTORICAL
& SPECIAL VENUES
Let
us begin discussing the churches in Cappadocia, by
describing the churches in this open-air museum. In Goreme,
at a distance of 7 km (4.3 miles) from Urgup, the first
ancient structure that appears in front of us is the Maidens
Monastery. The monastery, belonging to the first half of the
11th century, and is an interesting building of six stores.
The Chapel of St. Basil is situated on the opposite side of
the promenade road in the museum. The Church with Apple, one
of the most important churches in Goreme, appears in sight
thereafter. The church, planned in the shape of a closed
Greek cross, ends with three abscissas. The church belongs
to the 12th century and the frescos in it display the scenes
based on the contents of the Bible and also inspired by the
Pentateuch. The Church of St. Barbara is situated beyond the
Church with Apple. In this church that belongs to the first
half of the 11th century and the descriptions of Pontacrator
Christ, Georgios, Theodoros and Saint Barbara are worthy of
attention.
The
Church with Snake, situated here, also belongs to the 11th
century and the scene of Deisis is displayed on its long
wall. Descriptions of Saint Onesimos Georgios, Theodoros,
Constantine and Helena are seen here. On the rocky mass that
heightens from the south of the open air museum towards the
west of it, there are monasteries grouped together and 8
churches, 7 dining halls, grave chambers and wine factories.
The church that is situated here has two stores and the
frescos inside have been recently restored and fortified.
The events included in the contents of the Bible and the
Pentateuch, are described in vivid colors in the frescos.
The
Church with Sandals (Carikli Kilise) is situated at the
extreme north of the valley. The Church with Sandals belongs
to the 12th century, has a dining hall under it, and their
descriptions of the scenes from Christ's life and from the
Pentateuch inside the church. The church with Buckle,
located on the road to Goreme, consists of four sites
namely: The Old Church, The New Great Church, The adjoining
chapel and the church underneath.
The
Old Church, forms the entrance of the New Church today, and
it is decorated with the descriptions which are dated to the
10th century and concern Christ's life. The New Church which
has a rectangular plan, is decorated with the descriptive
scenes from Christ's childhood adolescence and showing the
sorrows of his life. This church is dated to the end of the
10th century. The annexed chapel and the church underneath,
belong to the following period. At a distance of 300 m from
the zone of the museum, there is the Church of Virgin Mary;
and the Church of El Nazar, belonging to the 10th century
and the Hidden Church are situated at the left hand side on
the way to the township of Göreme.
The
missile-shaped fairy Chimneys within the Zemi Deresi near
these churches, create very interesting scenery. There are
many churches in the township of Goreme, such as Yusuf Koç,
Durmus Kadir. While traveling in Goreme, the fortresses of
Uchisar and Ortahisar suddenly appear in front of you as a
magnificent sight. Here, the Valley of Guvercinlik is so
beautiful that one doesn't get tired of watching it.
Aktepe
and the Valleys of Uçhisar, Kiliçlar, Uzundere are places
which display very interesting sights. The Pink Valley
placed between Avanos and Urgup arouses interest by reason
of its natural scenery. The Church of Cavusin, situated on
the road of Avanos at a distance of 2 km to Goreme, is
decorated with frescos belonging to the 11th century. One
can walk from Cavusin to the Valleys of Gulludere and
Kizilcukur. The 12 churches in this region can also be
visited during this walk that will be a pleasant thing for
you to remember. We come across interesting scenery in Bagli
Deresi which extends towards Killik or Kaya Harmani in the
north of Avanos-Goreme road and towards Uçhisar in the
south of it. The locality called Cinnes on the road to Zelve
past Çavusin and the locality named Pasabagi or Kesisler
Vadisi (Valley of Monks) are also worth seeing.
Zelve
is a region that extends towards the interiors of a hill
called Aktepe where there are about 15 churches. There are
many underground cities in Cappadocia too. Within these soft
rocks carved out as a means of defense against the enemy,
interesting underground cities were formed, and all kinds of
needs could be met in them. The most important ones among
them are the cities of Kaymakli, Derinkuyu and Ozkonak and
there are underground cities in many other places too. In
addition to the Valley of Göreme, there are churches of
importance in the Valley of Soganli too. Churches such as
Karabas, Yilanli, Kubbeli and Gok Kilise are situated in
this valley that are at a distance of 30 km (18 miles) to
Urgup.
In
the Valley of Ihlara, which is arrived at by diverging from
the Aksaray-Nevsehir road, there are 36 churches each one of
which is more interesting than the other. When one descends
the steps and reaches the valley at the end of the road, the
Churches of Agaçalti, Sumbullu, Kokar and Yilanli can be
seen in the Open Air Museum of Ihlara. The other churches of
importance such as those of Egritas, Purenliseki, Karagedik,
Kirkdamalti, Bahattin Samanligi and Ala Kilise are also
situated in this valley.The Church of Gümüsler belonging
to the 11th century and are located at a distance of 7 km
(4.3 miles) to Nigde, is a church of interesting appearance.
The Churches called Yuksek Kilise and Kizil Kilise, which
are located in Guzelyurt, are made of stone. |
