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Cappadocia is a picture drawn on
the earth by nature, it is a
poem. Cappadocia, which is
situated within the triangle of
Nevsehir, Aksaray and Kayseri is
bounded by Erciyes with a height
of 3,916 m (12,848 ft) in the
east and by Hasandag, a volcanic
mountain of 3,253 m (10,673 ft)
high in the south. The tough
rocks, formed by the lava
spurted by these two mountains
during geological times, had
kept on taking constantly
changing shapes with kind
effects during the course of
time, and the wonders of the
world of today were created.
The Church with Snake, situated
here, also belongs to the 11th
century and the scene of Deisis
is displayed on its long wall.
Descriptions of Saint Onesimos
Georgios, Theodoros, Constantine
and Helena are seen here. On the
rocky mass that heightens from
the south of the open air museum
towards the west of it, there
are monasteries grouped together
and 8 churches, 7 dining halls,
grave chambers and wine
factories. The church which is
situated here, has two stores
and the frescos inside have been
recently restored and fortified.
The events included in the
contents of the Bible and the
Pentateuch, are described in
vivid colors in the frescos.
The Church with Sandals (Çarikli
Kilise) is situated at the
extreme north of the valley. The
Church with Sandals belongs to
the 12th century, has a dining
hall under it, and there
descriptions of the scenes from
Christ's life and from the
Pentateuch inside the church.
The church with Buckle, located
on the road to Göreme, consists
of four sites namely: The Old
Church, The New Great Church,
The adjoining chapel and the
church underneath.
The Old Church, forms the
entrance of the New Church
today, and it is decorated with
the descriptions which are dated
to the 10th century and concern
Christ's life. The New Church
which has a rectangular plan, is
decorated with the descriptive
scenes from Christ's childhood
adolescence and showing the
sorrows of his life. This church
is dated to the end of the 10th
century. The annexed chapel and
the church underneath, belong to
the following period. At a
distance of 300 m from the zone
of the museum, there is the
Church of Virgin Mary; and the
Church of El Nazar, belonging to
the 10th century and the Hidden
Church are situated at the left
hand side on the way to the
township of Göreme.
The missile-shaped fairy
Chimneys within the Zemi Deresi
near these churches, create very
interesting scenery. There are
many churches in the township of
Göreme, such as Yusuf Koç,
Durmus Kadir. While traveling in
Göreme, the fortresses of
Uçhisar and Ortahisar suddenly
appear in front of you as a
magnificent sight. Here, the
Valley of Güvercinlik is so
beautiful that one doesn't get
tired of watching it. |
