Cappadocia / Kapadokya

Day Eight - Turkey / Türkiye - 2023

A day exploring sights in Cappadocia, to include Pigeon Valley, Uçhisar, the Göreme Open Air Museum, Özkonak Underground City, Avanos, and Devrent Valley.

Editor’s Comment: Throughout this travelogue, I have made an effort to use the Turkish spelling of place names and locations when the terms are obvious cognates; however, whenever a term is more commonly well-known in the English language (Turkey vs. Türkiye, Basilica Cistern vs. Yerebatan Sarnıcı, etc.) I have provided the English term first, followed by the Turkish spelling afterwards.

1. Gamirasu Cave Hotel #1

By my count, there are at least 109 cave hotels in Cappadocia / Kapadokya.

Waking up early, I took the opportunity to explore the awesome Gamirasu Cave Hotel. This is a neat boutique-style cave hotel in Ayvalı, and I highly recommend a stay (not a paid promotion, I just really enjoyed it). I will caution it is a bit outside of the central core of Cappadocia (Kapadokya) and transportation may be a factor; however, I think its seclusion is part of its charm.

Three more photos from the Gamirasu Cave Hotel follow.

2. Gamirasu Cave Hotel #2

3. Gamirasu Cave Hotel #3

4. Gamirasu Cave Hotel #4

5. Pigeon Valley

Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys (hoodoos) are pillars of soft volcanic rock, severely weathered by centuries of heavy wind blowing across Anatolia.

For better or worse, hot air ballooning was cancelled in the morning due to wind. This gave us a little bit more time to explore Cappadocia, and first we made a stop at the Pigeon Valley overlook.

6. Uçhisar #1

We moved on next to Uçhisar, which has perhaps the highest density of rock-hewn caves converted into homes and hotels of any region of Cappadocia. We enjoyed a visit to one such home, and then had some time to explore.

Five more photos from Uçhisar follow.

7. Uçhisar #2

8. Uçhisar #3

9. Uçhisar #4

10. Uçhisar #5

11. Uçhisar #6

12. Göreme Open Air Museum #1

The name Göreme comes from a term meaning “you cannot see this place” - this comes from the location’s status as a hiding place for early Christians who were avoiding persecution.

We then made our way to the Göreme Open Air Museum, a site at which early Christians carved out small cave churches. There are nine easily accessible proto-churches here formed in a small loop, and a tenth -Tokalı Kilise, or the Buckle Church- a short walk away from the site’s entrance.

No photography is allowed inside the churches (and this is one place in Turkey I noticed this rule was strictly enforced), but the site is still picturesque - four photographs follow.

13. Göreme Open Air Museum #2

14. Göreme Open Air Museum #3

15. Göreme Open Air Museum #4

16. Göreme Open Air Museum #5

17. Özkonak Underground City #1

Özkonak Underground City was rediscovered by a farmer in 1972 who investigated the mysterious disappearance of his crop water into the earth.

Making our way next to the north of Cappadocia, we stopped at the interesting Özkonak Underground City. Predictably, this served as a refuge for locals during the volatile Byzantine times, during which raids from invading tribes was common. It is estimated this particular underground city could house several tens of thousands of people for a period of a few months. There’s even a wine storage room - they knew what they were doing!

18. Özkonak Underground City #2

The underground city features multiple security systems -including this rolling stone door- as well as intricate systems of ventilation shafts and water wells.

19. Avanos #1

Due to its fine red silt clay, Avanos is known for its well-renowned pottery cottage industry.

We then made a quick stop in Avanos for a pottery wheel demonstration before taking a quick walk across this lovely town. Two more photos of Avanos follows.

20. Avanos #2

21. Avanos #3

22. Devrent Valley #1

Devrent Valley -sometimes called Imaginary Valley or Imagination Valley- is known for its rock formations resembling animals, to include this camel.

Heading back south, we crossed back into the core of Cappadocia once again and made a quick stop at Devrent Valley. The rock formations here are really quite excellent, and it made me want to go explore further. Maybe next time….

Five more photos from Devrent Valley follow.