Goreme Cappadocia

      Tens millions of years ago the region was a blazing inferno of active volcanos spouting lava, basalt and andesit rocks covering the land far and wide with volcanic ash.With the pas- sing tufa was eroded by  rushing torrents,tempest and   vicious cloudbrust the curious landscape of basalt-tipped fairy chimneys,weird cones and obelisks were born.Hollowed out and rendered habitable they offered refuge to the early Christians againts their Roman persecutors: today they enchant foreign visitors from every part of the world.

          Goreme Open-Air Museum, a monastic complex of rock churches and chapels covered with frescoes, in one of the best-known site in central Turkey.Most of the chapels date from the 10th to the 13th centuries; the Byzantine and Seljuk periods and many of them are built on an inscribed cross-plan with acentral cupola supported by four columns.In the north annexes of several churches are rock-cut tombs.The most famous churches are located around  Goreme where is set right in the middle of a valley cones and fairy chimneys.

Cappadocia Churces    

          Since the most ancient of times, men have hollowed out troglodyte dwellings in this soft rock, and here, at the dawn of Christianity, the early Christians made countless cave churches, chapels and monasteries. There are over 600 churches scattered through the valleys.

         The art style of the churches can best be considered in two categories: the 8th and 9th centuries are the iconoclastic years, with decorations in red earth tones and symbolism in simple geometric motifs; the 10th to the 13th centuries saw decorations on a plaster base and show the lives of Christ and various saints. In some of the churches the frescoes of the later period have fallen off, revealing earlier decorations underneath.

    You can easly walk these beautiful valleys from Goreme Walnut House Hotel and explore many hidden churces from 10th century .