| Situated between Ankara and Malataya, the Black Sea and the Taurus
Mountains, you can visit Cappadocia
in three to four days, or even five depending on how much time you have
to spend. You could easily spend ten days here before running out of things
to see in this marvelous region. It's the ideal place for long hikes.
Cappadocia was the core of the Empire of the Hittites during the second
millenium BC, before it became a Roman province and a center for Christianity
mentioned several times in the Bible.
The underground frescoes with their vibrant colors are a testimony to
Byzantine art.
In 726, Emperor Leon III forbid the representation of human beings in
art, thus instigating a religious crisis between the "iconoclasts" and
those who defended the images. Icons returned to the churches after 798,
but many frescoes disappeared forever.
 Cappadocia
is one of the most visited sites in Turkey; an area of volcanic, almost
lunar landscapes known for its agriculture, wine growing, and fruit orchards.
People come from all over the world to visit the "open air museum" called
Goreme, to visit its churches with Cappadocian rock drawings, to contemplate
the "fairy chimneys" near the village of Aktepe (strange rock formations
of volcanic origin) and to plunge into the cave-dweller cities of Neveshir,
Ozhonak, Kaymaki, and Derinkuyu.
|  Most
visitors travel by bus. The centers of Kayseri, Goreme, Avanos,
Urgurup, and Neveshir in Cappadocia serve as points of departure
for day trips to the valleys, the hills, and the innumerable grottoes
of Cappadocia. The Dolmus (minibuses) offer service to the various
sites during the summer. Travel agencies have tours available
to most of the sites. You can even fly over Cappadocia in a hot-air
balloon.
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