DAY 1: You will land at Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport by early morning flight and be greeted by the tour guide and tour vehicle. Starting the tour. The first point is St Jean Church which is 15 minutes away from the airport. According to the inscription on the apse of the church, it dates back to 1212.
The Gülşehir St. Jean Church is carved into a fairy chimney as two stories. The lower floor contains the church, wine cellars, water channels and tombs; and the upper floor contains another church whose walls are decorated with scenes from the Bible. The lower floor church has a single apse and a cross plan, and the arms of the cross are barrel vaulted. Its central dome has collapsed. In the decorations, stylized animals, geometric shapes and cross depictions are depicted directly on the main rock with red ochre. The upper floor church has a single apse and a barrel vault. Vegetal and geometric motifs are preferred on the niche vaults and facades. Scenes from the life of Jesus are in bands and in the form of friezes.
The colors yellow and brown are used on a black background. The church is distinguished from other churches in the region by its iconography. In the apse of the church, there is the Deesis; on the front facade, the Annunciation under bird depictions; on the vault, depictions of saints in medallions; on the south wing of the vault, the Last Supper, Betrayal, Baptism; below it, the Death of Mary; on the north wing, the Deposition of Jesus from the Cross, Women at the Empty Tomb, Jesus' Descent into Hell; and on the west and south walls, the Last Judgment Scene, which is rarely depicted in the Cappadocia region. Your tour guide will give you more detailed information about the church.
We continue, after another 10-minute short journey, we come to our second point, the open palace. We visit the open palace with the directions and information of your tour guide.
It is estimated that this small ancient settlement was built in the 10-11th century during the Byzantine period.
During this period, two separate places were built by carving into the tufa rocks, separated by a stream in the middle.
The first area on the roadside was mostly used for animal stables, and religious places were rarely seen. It is estimated that this area was used by the army of Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros Phokas, who stayed in the area in 964/65.
After Emperor Phokas' visit, this area remained under Byzantine rule for another 100-150 years, but this period ended with the Turks' entry into Anatolia with the victory of Malazgirt in 1071.
There are scientists who claim that this area was later used for various purposes, and became a trade area, as it was a place that could accommodate a large number of animals and people.
After our visit to Açıksaray, we set off towards Nevşehir, the central city of Cappadocia. We go up to Nevşehir Castle to visit the rock city that was discovered as a result of new archaeological excavations in Nevşehir city center.
Kayaşehir, also known as Nevşehir Underground City, takes its name from the rock mosque located just below the castle. Rock-carved settlement areas have been discovered in this large area. Since the settlement area consists of rock-carved areas, it is a sufficient reason for us to call it an underground city. In this area, there is a 13th century Byzantine rock church, multi-storey tombs, gathering areas for religious ceremonies, workshops, underground water tunnels, etc.
In the southern part of Kayaşehir, in the area called the Greek neighborhood, there is the Hagios Georgios church, Greek bath and bell tower. The area where the bell tower is located was used as a primary school for many years in the past. The first explorations of the Nevşehir underground city, known as Kayaşehir, were made in 2015 and a large research was started after the explorations. As a result of this research and scientific studies, 312 places and 700 rooms were discovered in the Kayaşehir area. Among the 700 rooms, 6 of the rooms were discovered as linseed mills, known as the industry and production of the period. It is understood that medicines, varnishing, cooking oil, lamps and various plant oils were produced with flaxseed in these linseed mills. Many old-time findings and historical artifacts have been unearthed in the Kayaşehir Nevşehir Underground City. Some of these are grinding stones, hand mills, wooden tools and 708 pipe works. 40 zikke from the reign of Sultan Abdulmecid, 270 lamps, 12 grinding stones, 51 candlesticks, 21 tombs and 45 millstones, as well as tools used in ancient times, were found.
After our visit to Kayaşehir, we visit the nearby Virgin Mary Church. Virgin Mary Church is a historical building that was used as a place of worship for the Orthodox Greeks from 1849, when it was built, to 1924, and as a prison between 1950-1983, and then opened to tourism after remaining idle for about 40 years.
We will have a lunch break on our tour. Lunch at a local restaurant.
After lunch break, we will move from the city center to the rocky Cappadocia region.
Our stop is Güvelik Vadisi. After your guide gives you information in Güvelik Vadisi, you will have time to take photos and enjoy the view. Then you will visit a handicraft center near the valley. You will see precious stone and jewelry processing, which are examples of handicrafts that are still alive today. After visiting the workshop, your guide and vehicle will set off to drop you off at your hotel at the end of the day.
Accommodation and dinner in Cappadocia.
