Michael Warwick

Any information on Cappodocia and the area would be appreciated.I am planing to visit the area soon

George Holt

The most obvious attraction of Cappadocia is the area itself. The whole area is vocanic in origin and the rocks are massively and picturesquely eroded into interesting shapes. Visiting the landscape is free (apart from your transport), look out for the precariously balanced 'fairy chimneys' with great slabs of basalt resting on impossibly slim tufa towers. The local tufa is very soft and in the past people have built their dwellings into caves dug in it. You can see plenty of evidence of this but the village of Zelve (now a museum) has extensive remains to scramble over. There were once many monasteries centred around Goreme and a a cluster of these constitute the Goreme Museum. This houses many churches (and other community rooms) carved in the rock. These churches were carved 'in the round' and now you can see bizarre column fragments hanging from the ceilings as well as the remains of some fine old wallpaintings (photography restricted). Kaymakli and Derinkuyu are two underground cities built as refuges from invasion. They go down some nine stories, though you can only visit the top few. This is a fascinating visit but the corridors are quite narrow so not for the claustrophobic or people who are, errm, 'very amply proportioned' (I'll swear the corridors get smaller every time I visit). Above ground, climbing to the citadel at the top of Uchisar affords a wonderful panoramic view of much of Cappadocia (photography not restricted!!). Capadoccia is quite a large region and you'll need to be mobile, either hire car or a tour, to see any of it. Grapes are grown in the area and Urgup wine is worth a try. (If you've not seen a picture of the fairy chimney's pop over to http://wkweb4.cableinet.co.uk/george...web/index.html for a preview.)

Michael Warwick

Thanks George

I will be in the Goreme Valley in December. What is the weather like? I heard a lot about the area and this will be my first visit.
Again, Thanks for the data.

Mike

George Holt

I've only ever visited Cappadocia in late August/early September when its quite hot and once in late May when its not quite as hot. However I understand midwinter can be quite hard in Central Anatolia so pack some warm togs. Anatolia has a narrow coastal strip and then rises quite steeply to form the main bulk of central Turkey. Even the low parts of Central Anatolia are quite a bit above sea level. Turkey is not internationally noted for its skiing but you can ski on the high mountains outside Ankara (which is not a huge distance from Cappadocia). Best of luck with the weather. Give the Turkish Embassy a ring, you don't want to pack tshirts and flipflops when anoraks and snow shoes are more appropriate, or vice versa.

Michael Warwick

Thanks again. I will post information after my return. Thanks for the response.

Best regards
Mike