Cappadocia, renowned as a tourist favourite, is also a top destination for winter enthusiasts seeking skiing, thermal springs, and hot air balloon adventures.

The combination of Cappadocia, Erciyes, and Kozaklı offers the perfect recipe for an unforgettable holiday.

Cappadocia: Great spot for unique nature

Cappadocia, located in central Anatolia’s Nevşehir province, is a top destination in Türkiye, celebrated for its rock-carved structures, fairy chimney-studded landscapes, historical treasures, and cultural significance. The region attracts visitors year-round with its diverse tourism offerings.

The region’s authentic charm is best experienced from above through hot air balloon tours, a hallmark of Cappadocia, attracting both locals and hundreds of thousands of international visitors annually.

For those exploring on the ground, horse or camel rides and ATV rentals provide exciting ways to navigate the volcanic cones, while hiking through the valleys offers a truly unique adventure.

Cappadocia offers accommodation to suit every budget, providing excellent value for visitors. For a truly unique experience, guests can stay in boutique hotels featuring cave rooms carved into the volcanic tuff rocks.

Winter visitors to Cappadocia can explore the Göreme Open-Air Museum, the Zelve and Paşabağı archaeological sites, as well as the traditional earthenware workshops in the Avanos district.

For a journey back in time, the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı offer a fascinating glimpse into history.

Erciyes: A Hub for Winter Tourism

Just an hour’s drive from Cappadocia, Mount Erciyes beckons visitors with its breathtaking scenery and majestic presence.

The Erciyes Ski Centre is gaining popularity due to its convenient location, easy accessibility, extensive ski slopes, and affordable prices.

Spanning 25 square kilometres, the centre boasts a modern network of 18 mechanical facilities, including chairlifts and a cable car system. These cover a total length of 21,300 metres and have the capacity to transport 25,500 people per hour.

The 34 ski slopes, spanning a total of 102 kilometres, cater to both amateur and professional skiers with varying levels of difficulty across the Tekir, Hacılar, Hisarcık, and Develi gates.

The Healing Hot Springs of Kozaklı

Just an hour’s drive from Mount Erciyes, the Kozaklı district offers a rejuvenating holiday option in Türkiye. Renowned as one of the country’s top thermal tourism destinations, Kozaklı is famous for its therapeutic thermal springs.

The mineral-rich waters, containing radon gas—often referred to as the “elixir of youth” for its cell-regenerating properties—are believed to benefit various conditions, including arthritis and rheumatism.

Kozaklı also boasts numerous pools and aqua parks for children and young visitors, along with a wide range of wellness options, including salt rooms, spas, mud baths, Turkish baths, and beauty and fitness centres.

So, when you’re seeking something a little different this winter, remember that you can experience the unique charm of Cappadocia, enjoy skiing at Erciyes, and unwind at the thermal facilities in Kozaklı to end your day.

Sources: Discover Turkey/Daily Sabah/Wikipedia

This article was first published in January 2019 and updated on 9 December 2024

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Cappadocia Area President Birol İnceciköz confirmed that restoration efforts have already begun across the fairy chimneys, and that landscaping projects for other key sites, such as Paşabağlar, are being designed. “Fairy chimneys are formed by natural processes, and they also deteriorate over time,” İnceciköz explained. “We will make sure visitor safety is maintained and will monitor the situation closely with experts.”

The commission determined that intervening with artificial support to prevent the chimney’s collapse would go against the natural processes that shape these formations. Instead, they will let nature take its course, ensuring safety measures are put in place to protect visitors from any potential hazards.

Additionally, the inspections highlighted concerns over damage to frescoes in the St. Barbara Chapel at the Göreme Open Air Museum. Water seepage through cracks in the chapel’s structure has caused damage to its historic artwork, exacerbated by outdated repair methods involving wires and nails, which have degraded over the past 20 years.

“We have consulted with specialists and non-governmental organizations to determine the best approach to repair the cracks that are allowing water to damage the frescoes,” İnceciköz stated, noting that the goal is to protect these invaluable pieces of cultural heritage while respecting their historical integrity.

Cappadocia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is renowned for its fairy chimneys, rock-hewn churches, and other ancient landmarks, drawing millions of tourists each year. Preservation efforts remain a top priority as authorities continue to balance the region’s natural evolution with the need to protect its rich history.

Source: Hürriyet Daily News

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Volcanic activity that began roughly 14 million years ago laid the foundation for the jagged landscape we see today. A series of eruptions showered what is now Central Anatolia with ash, which solidified into thick layers of tuff — a type of light, porous rock. Subsequent explosions then coated the tuff with lava that hardened into a tough, basalt crust. The chimneys, technically called “hoodoos,” formed over the eons as wind and water went to work on the rocks, wearing down the tuff and leaving behind only pillars. The basalt eroded more slowly, which is why many of the chimneys are capped with mushroom-like basalt tops to this day.

Nature did the heavy lifting, but humans also helped to shape the fairy chimneys. The landscape is honeycombed with caves and tunnels dating as far back as the Hittites, who inhabited the area between 1800 and 1200 B.C., according to National Geographic. Central Anatolia later straddled the boundaries of rival empires — including the Greek, Persian, Byzantine and Roman empires — and frequent turmoil drove the region’s residents to dig out hiding places among and beneath the spires. Christians fleeing persecution in ancient Rome even carved churches and monasteries out of the soft stone, expanding cave and tunnel networks into sprawling underground cities.

The density of living quarters hidden among the fairy chimneys is so vast it is “one of the world’s most striking and largest cave-dwelling complexes,” according to UNESCO. The agency inscribed Göreme National Park and the rock sites at Cappadocia on its list of World Heritage Sites in 1985.

The fairy chimneys have also been dubbed “the world’s most unusual high-rise neighborhood” by National Geographic.

Written by Sascha Pare for Live Science

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Operating since 2003, Museum Hotel, located in Uçhisar, is the world’s first museum concept hotel. It contains hundreds of priceless historical artifacts belonging to the Hittite, Roman, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods, registered in Nevşehir Museum and exhibited (with great care taken) in all the hotel rooms, general areas, cave tunnels, and the hotel restaurant.

The 34 cave and traditional stone rooms at the resort are each decorated in a different style with immaculate attention to detail and breathtaking scenery, with the “Divine Suite” benefitting from one of the best views in the region.

“The biggest and best suites even include large swimming pools inside,” said travel specialist Jonathan Alder.

“The breakfast is amongst the best I’ve ever had in my life, and the dinners are so good you won’t even want to consider another restaurant. They even have their own winery offsite, truly making the entire experience remarkable,” Alder added.

Tolga Tosun, the hotel’s general manager, said: “At Museum Hotel, we always prioritise our mission to offer the highest level of luxury and service to our guests.”

Cappadocia is famed for its valleys, plateaus and hills, its fairy-tale landscape of cones, pillars and mushroom-like chimneys, mysterious underground cities, houses carved into rocks and rock-hewn chapels used by early Christians.

Watch this video to find out more about Cappadocia:

Source: TRT World/The Museum Hotel

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If you missed part one, you can read it here:

https://fethiyetimes.com/unesco-world-heritage-sites-in-turkey-part-one/

Sites on the World Heritage List (Cultural) – continued …

Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği

The stunning Divriği mosque and madrasa (seminary) complex has been declared by UNESCO to be one of the most important centres of cultural heritage in the world.

Its exceptional remoteness – two hours drive from Sivas – makes it one of the least visited sites. Originally a Byzantine stronghold, Divriği was taken by the Seljuks who commissioned the building with its lavishly carved portals. The Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği was added to the World Heritage List in 1985.

Hattusha: the Hittite Capital

Hattuşa was once a great and impressive city, defended by stone walls over 6km in length. Today the ruins consist mostly of re-constructed foundations, walls and a few rock carvings, but there are several more interesting features, including a tunnel and some fine hieroglyphic inscriptions preserved in situ.

The site itself is strangely atmospheric, almost eerie, exciting for its ruggedness and high antiquity rather than for its buildings or reliefs. Hattusha: the Hittite Capital was added to the World Heritage List in 1986.

Historic Areas of Istanbul

The Historic Areas of Istanbul is a group of sites in the capital district of Fatih in the city of Istanbul, Türkiye. 

From ancient ruins to 16th-century masterpieces, here are some of the must-see UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites and landmarks in Istanbul. These areas were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.

• Sarayburnu
• Topkapi Palace
• Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofia)
• Sultan Ahmed Mosque
• Hagia Irene
• Zeyrek Mosque
• Suleymaniye Mosque
• Little Hagia Sophia

Click on the link below for more information about these sites courtesy of viator.com

Must-See UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Istanbul

Nemrut Dağ

The 7,000-foot-tall mountain, Nemrut Dağı (Mount Nemrut), houses a historical site unlike any other in the country.

Notable for its ancient tomb and temple complex, which includes numerous massive statues of Greek and Persian gods, the stunning site was constructed by King Antiochus I in 62 BC and is today considered to be the most significant monument of the Kingdom of Commagene. Nemrut Dağ was added to the World Heritage List in 1987. 

You can read our previous article about Nemrut Dağ here.

Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük

Çatalhöyük is Türkiye’s most important neolithic and Bronze Age site and the earliest known city in the world.

The sophisticated tools, jewellery, and sculpture found here, and above all the wall paintings decorating the shrines, all dating from 6800 BC, indicate a remarkably advanced civilisation in Anatolia at this time. These items are now in the Ankara Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, but the site is nevertheless impressive for its size. The Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyü was added to the World Heritage List in 2012.

Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape

Pergamon is, for the most part, a site of quiet classical splendour. Its ruins – especially the Asklepion and Acropolis – are so extraordinary that they were inscribed on Unesco’s World Heritage List in June 2014, the 999th site in the world (and the 14th in Türkiye) to be so honoured.

The thermal springs of Pergamon made the city one of the principal centres of healing and beauty. One of the major thermal spas of Pergamon is within the Sanctuary of Asclepius (Güzellik Ilıcası). It is believed to have been commissioned by King Euamens of Pergamon, and its healing and beauty properties were enjoyed by Cleopatra.

Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex

The square Mosque with its single great dome and four slender minarets dominates the skyline of the former Ottoman capital of Edirne. Sinan, the most famous of Ottoman architects in the 16th century, considered the complex, which includes madrasas (Islamic schools), a covered market, a clock house, an outer courtyard and a library, to be his best work.

The interior decoration using Iznik tiles from the peak period of their production testifies to an art form that remains unsurpassed in this material. The complex is considered to be the most harmonious expression ever achieved of the Ottoman külliye, a group of buildings constructed around a mosque and managed as a single institution. Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex were added to the World Heritage List in 2011. 

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia

This serial property is comprised of five hypostyle mosques built in Anatolia between the late 13th and mid-14th centuries, each located in a different province of present-day Türkiye. The unusual structural system of the mosques combines an exterior building envelope built of masonry with multiple rows of wooden interior columns (“hypostyle”) that support a flat wooden ceiling and the roof. These mosques are known for the skilful woodcarving and handiwork used in their structures, architectural fittings, and furnishings.

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia were added to the World heritage List in 2023.

Xanthos-Letoon

Xanthos, with its fine Roman theatre and Lycian pillar tombs, is a magnificent site, as befits the remains of Lycia’s greatest city.  Any tour of Xanthos should begin with the theatre and its extraordinary pair of pillar tombs, 8m high.

On the acropolis stand the remains of a Lycian royal palace, overlooking the river valley. On the other side of the car park is an extensive Byzantine basilica with mosaic flooring and further uphill is the necropolis, with a cluster of huge tombs dominated by another pillar tomb. At the top of the hill are the remains of a Byzantine monastery and a large Roman temple. Xanthos-Letoon was added to the World Heritage List in 1988.

Sites on the World Heritage List (Mixed)

Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia

Cappadocia is famous for its weird and wonderful natural rock formations and unique historical heritage. One of the best places to see these strange formations is the town of Göreme, which is located among a large number of tuff cones, termed fairy chimneys.

The fairy chimneys have been formed as the result of wind and water erosion of two different volcanic layers: a thick layer of tuff (consolidated volcanic ash) covered by a thin layer of basalt that is more resistant to erosion. Due to the ease of carving into the tuff, many of the fairy chimneys at Cappadocia have been hollowed out over the centuries to create houses, churches and storage facilities. Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia were added to the World Heritage List in 1985.

Hierapolis-Pamukkale

Deriving from springs in a cliff almost 200 m high overlooking the plain, calcite-laden waters have created at Pamukkale (Cotton Palace) an unreal landscape, made up of mineral forests, petrified waterfalls and a series of terraced basins.

At the end of the 2nd century B.C. the dynasty of the Attalids, the kings of Pergamon, established the thermal spa of Hierapolis. The ruins of the baths, temples and other Greek monuments can be seen at the site. Hierapolis-Pamukkale was added to the World Heritage List in 1988.

You can read our previous article on Pamukkale and Hierapolis here.

There are 79 more sites in Türkiye on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, properties that are considered to be cultural and/or natural heritage of outstanding universal value and therefore suitable for inscription on the World Heritage List.

UNESCO World Heritage – Turkey

Sources: UNESCO/LonelyPlanet/Explorer Turkey/Viator

Featured image by Nichola Chapman

This article was first published on 16 December 2021 and updated on 14 November 2023.

The post UNESCO World Heritage sites in Türkiye – part two appeared first on Fethiye Times.

For hundreds of years, when invaders came to the Cappadocia region of what is now Turkey, inhabitants would retreat to a vast underground city, taking with them their belongings — including large livestock — seal up the entry with large stones, and live there until the threat passed.

Derinkuyu 

There are 36 underground cities in Cappadocia and the deepest one is Derinkuyu, believed to date to the 8th century BC and able to accommodate up to 20,000 people and their animals.

Discovery

Derinkuyu, meaning “Deep Well” was discovered by accident in 1963 by a local man who stumbled upon the city when he knocked down a wall in his basement.

This unusual site is open to visitors who can explore nearly half of all of its vast underground passages. The 13-story city includes kitchens, stables, churches, and tombs, all carved into the soft volcanic rock (tufa) that covers much of the Nevşehir region of Turkey. The volcanic tufa was very soft to cut, as it hardens only on contact with air, and the tufa chambers make surprisingly peasant living areas, with good air circulation, constant temperatures and humidity and, very importantly, no insects.

No one is sure who the original builders were, but the current belief is that the first level was built by the Hittites in about 1400 BC as a storage area as Hittite seals have been found by locals digging foundations for their houses.

Population exchange

Derinkuyu was most recently inhabited by Christians until 1923 when they were expelled during a population exchange with Greece.

Derinkuyu has since laid uninhabited and draws visitors from around the world.

Other underground cities

The Cappadocia region, once a Roman province, is fertile ground for underground cities because of its soft volcanic rock which is easy to carve and Derinkuyu is not the only underground city in this area of Turkey.

Nevşehir

Nevşehir, which is known for its ‘fairy chimney’ rock formations, is also known for its more than 200 underground cities and villages and is recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site. 

The density of its rock-hewn cells, churches, troglodyte villages and subterranean cities within the rock formations make it one of the world’s most striking and largest cave-dwelling complexes.

Construction workers clearing for a real estate development in 2015 discovered a series of ruins that contained buildings, hidden churches, and water channels located around the Nevşehir hill fort near the city of Kayseri.

Like Derinkuyu, the site appears to have been a large, self-sustaining complex with air shafts and water channels. Studies suggest the underground corridors may plunge as deep as 371 feet (113 meters). If that turns out to be accurate, the city could be larger than Derinkuyu by a third.

See what the underground cities look like and the story behind them in this video from TRT World’s “My Turkey”.

If you’re planning a visit to Cappadocia make sure you don’t miss a visit to an underground city.

Exploring the Underground Cities of Cappadocia in Central Turkey

Sources: Travel and Leisure/The Independent/National Geographic 

This article was first published on 23 September 2020.

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