After having experienced the beautiful sights and sounds of Istanbul, I took the Onur Air flight at 1940 hours from Istanbul to Kayseri to head to the region of Central Anatolia and Cappadocia which was included as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. I arrived at the Kayseri Airport at around 2100 hours and from there it took around 60 minutes to reach Ürgüp where I was to stay at Dinler Hotel.

Dinler is a four star property which overlooks Ürgüp, the centre of Cappadocia and is 80 kilometers fromr Kayseri Airport. Later, I walked into the centre of the town which was just 10 minutes away from the hotel to try some traditional Turkish cuisine.

Cappadocia is a land locked region and comprises of several provinces in a relatively small area of around 300 sq kilometers. The most popular areas are Nevshir, Ürgüp, Avanos and Göreme-the open air museum. The other provinces are Aksaray, Nigde, Kayseri and Kirsehir. The moon-like landscapes of Cappadocia are in fact the result of the erosion of the different layers of the lava spat in the distant past by the Erciyes, Hasandag and Gulludag, the three active volcanoes of the region. The erosion by wind and rain still continues today and makes some parts collapse and others stand out. Small rivers meander in surprisingly beautiful wild canyons lined by the so-called ‘fairy chimneys’. You will be overwhelmed by the astoundingly beautiful array of colours which continuously change according to the time of the day and changing light.

The ancient town of Ürgüp is built at the slope of a rocky hill and you have several cave hotels where you can live in. The hill is made of volcanic tuff and most of the houses were carved out of this soft rock formation. Ürgüp is a fine tourist resort with the town having a beige earth colour which blends well with the rest of the carved rock houses in the region. The entire area is covered with unique land formations and the sudden slopes of colourful gorges, the fairy chimney formations along with natural and man-made human made caves gives the place a unique character.

The fairy-chimneys are in fact tall pinnacles made of tuff with a large rock sitting on the top. They were established through the geological movements and the erosion due to the atmospheric conditions. There are a number of early Christian churches, monasteries and chapels carved out of this volcanic tuff material in the surroundings. The town is known to be the residence to the bishops, during the Middle Ages.

It is believed that the amazing landscape of Cappadoccia was created around 25 million years ago with the eruption of volcanoes in this region and the ash remains created the eroded material called tuff which formed distinct formations including the capped-cone ’fairy chimneys ’near Ürgüp. The best way to see the various formations is to start your tour at the Imagination Valley where you see some amazing animal shaped rocks including the mighty King Kong, the head of a dinosaur as well as the camel with its hood which is one of the most photographed sights of the valley.

Around end-August it was extremely warm during the day with the temperature reaching around 400 C. However, the walk around the Imagination Valley was worth the visit inspite of the blistering heat. For a tourist, I would strongly recommend to spend at least 2 nights in Cappadocia so that you can experience exploring the region by Hot Air Balloon and a stay at a cave hotel is highly recommended. One of the best properties to stay is the Elkep Evi Hotel right on top of the hill at Ürgüp near the area of Esbelli which gives you a spectacular view of the region of Capaddocia. For honeymooners, this is the most romantic place to be in and in the morning you can take a Hot Air Balloon and glide through love valley.

In winters, this region is covered by snow and becomes a popular skiing area and one of the exciting ways to explore the region is on horse back as Capadoccia in Persian means the “land of the beautiful horses”. You can also experience the Hamam-Turkish bath at the end of the day to rejuvenate yourself. So, there’s lots to do in Cappadocia.



The volcanic eruptions millions of years ago has made this a rich fertile areas for agriculture and you find grapes, apricots, cherries as well as chick peas and sugar beets grown in this region. The region of Cappadocia is also famous for its wine and at Avanos which is 18 kilometers from Nevshir, there is a tradition of pottery-making which has been in existence for more than 8000 years.

The following morning we did a day long tour starting with the Imagination Valley after which we visited the region of Pasabag which has some of the most amazing forms of chimney in volcanic rock which is synonymous to the region of Cappadocia. Some of these chimneys have twin as well as a triple rock caps and the sight is simply amazing. The other name of this valley is Monks Valley as it is believed that in the 8th century there were many saints who lived here and we visited the house of one such saint - St. Simon.

The house which is in the form of a cave is one of the popular sites to visit in this region as St. Simon was an important Saint during the period of Christianity. Avanos is a lively town with a shopping centre on one side and a beautiful maze of old stone houses on the other, some restored and some simply abandoned by fate. The Kizilirmak or the Red River separates Avanos from the rest of Cappadocia and is supposedly the longest river in Turkey. It is from this river that you find the red pottery clay in the region. In some of the houses at Avanos you can also find the murals and motifs of the Ottoman era.

Pottery has been produced in the Avanos area for several centuries and some of the techniques still used date back to Hittite times. Avanos is a mass of family run potteries, most of which are only too pleased to let visitors have a go on the potters wheel and give them a full history of the many and various pottery goods on offer. Avanos pots make wonderful souvenirs and are available at a wide range of prices, from simple ashtrays and mugs to ornate plates and chess sets. It is quite common to find these souvenirs and also a few handicraft shops in this region.

We visited the workshop of Chez Galip which is one of the most popular pottery workshops of the region making pottery for over six generations. Known as Çeç Pottery, it has the most amazing collection of pottery that you will find in this region. Not only they demonstrate how pottery is made but also you can try your hand at this wonderful art of pottery making which on the face of it looks very simple but requires a lot of finesse and artistry to go along with your creativity.

After admiring some fine ceramic work, our next halt was at Göreme-an open air museum and one of the most important centres of Christianity. Göreme is 15 km east of Nevsehir and 5 km west of Ürgüp. In Göreme, you will find over 600 churches which are carved by rock formations. It is difficult to say when the Christians came here, but it is believed that it was after St. Paul which was around 2nd century. After that period, the Christian population in this region increased and continued to do so during the 3rd and 4th Century. In the 4th Century, there were three saints from Anatolia who came here to set up the principles of Christianity.

Göreme has a friendly and relaxed atmosphere but there is café society and nightlife in the centre of the village for those who fancy something more lively. There is plenty to see in Göreme itself and is a useful base to explore the region of Cappadocia.

However, the main attraction of the region is the great concentration of rock-cut chapels and monastries. Many of the churches here feature Byzantine frescoes which depicts various scenes from the life of Christ. Several caves have been restored in this area and some of churches amongst many are the Barbara Church, the Tokali Church and the Yilanli Church. You can also do a camel ride around the region and also climb up to the Kizlar Monastery.

Most of the frescoes in the churches have been damaged over the years but the beauty of the churches and their decoration is still apparent on visiting Göreme. The best preserved frescoes are in the Dark Church or Kranlik Kilise and there is an add-on fee to visit these paintings which have been restored. A visit is highly recommended for those who appreciate fine fresco paintings. We also visited the Apple Church and the Snake Church.

The Apple Church is one of the smaller churches in the area, carved in the sign of a Greek cross with four irregular pillars supporting a central dome. The church was restored in the early 1990s, but the frescoes continue to chip off, revealing a layer of earlier paintings underneath. Paintings depict scenes of the saints, bishops, and martyrs, and to the right of the altar, a Last Supper with the symbolic fish (the letters of the word fish in Greek stand for "Jesus Christ, Son of God, the Saviour"). The name of the church is believed to refer to a reddish orb in the left hand of the Archangel Michael in the dome of the main apse, although there's also speculation that there used to be an apple tree at the entrance to the church and hence it got the name of the Apple Church

The Snake Church is a simple barrel-vaulted church with a low ceiling and long nave. One fresco represents Saints Theodore and George slaying the dragon (looking suspiciously like a snake), with Emperor Constantine the Great and his mother Helena depicted holding the "True Cross." Legend has it that she discovered the cross upon which Jesus was crucified after seeing it in a dream, and that a piece of the cross is still buried in the foundations of the Ayasofya in Istanbul.

After having spent a couple of hours at Göreme, it was time to head back to Ürgüp The following day I took the flight from Kayseri to Izmir for the last leg of my journey to Turkey where I would be visiting the exciting region of the Aegean Sea starting with Kusadasi and then moving on to Ephesus and also to Hierapolis and Pammukale which also is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
(to be continued)

About Turkish Ceramic Art
Turkish Ceramic Art with its colour, design and characteristics has made a huge impact over centuries. In Anatolian Seljuk architecture, there has been a clear influence of porcelain decorative arts and is clearly reflected in the region of Avanos. Since Hitite times, which dates back to 3000 BC, Ceramics have been the traditional handicraft in Avanos and over the years Avanos has established its reputation as one of the finest places not only for ceramic but also Iznik Ceramics which like porcelain china can be fired two times and is decorated in several colours. Iznik Ceramic unlike ordinary ceramic cannot be shaped using the mould technique. It has to be shaped individually by hand and as Iznik Ceramic Biscuits are more sturdy. they are stronger than ordinary ceramics and do not crack easily. Hence, they are microwave and dishwasher safe. The most unique feature of Iznic Ceramics is that they never lose their brightness even when exposed to the sun and a testimony to this are the Iznik Tiles of the Blue Mosque which still are rich in colour even after centuries. The finest Iznik ceramics can be found after the second half of the 16th Century. In the world’s ceramic industry, Iznik masters used as many as seven colours at the same time. Till today, the Iznik Ceramics are the most colourful ceramics and are one of the most popular souvenirs to take home from Turkey.

Answers to Know Istabul Contest (December 2006) are
1. Turkish Airlines has flights from Mumbai to Istanbul on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
2. Istanbul lies in Asia and Europe.
3. Turkey is the third Grand Prix circuit which goes in the anti-clockwise direction besides Brazil and San Marino
4. Istiklal Caddesi is another name for the Independence Avenue in Istanbul, Turkey
5. The Blue Mosque in Istanbul is believed to have been build by the same stone masons who built the Taj Mahal in Agra.

We thank our readers for the overwhelming response as always. However, surprisingly there were only two prize winners for the Know Istanbul Contest (December 2006):

1. Vasudev Daswani from Kopri, Thane
2. Khan Waseem Nayeem from Trombay
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