Cappadocia - one of the most surprising landscape and cultural heritage of all the regions in Turkey. Its name comes from the Persian word "Katpatuka", that is translated as: "The country of beautiful horses".
But now, it is not the horses that attract millions of tourists from around the world here. Cappadocia surprises with fancy rocky formations, huge cave monasteries and underground cities.
The flat, deprived of vegetation plateau, lying at the altitude of about 1000 meters above sea level, is limited from the South by the volcanoes Erdzhiyas and Hassan, and from the North - by the valley of the Kyzyl Irmak River and the salty Tuz Lake.
As a result of volcanic eruptions, the entire territory of Cappadocia was flooded with lava, filled with volcanic tuff and covered with a thick layer of ash. Then pouring rains, wind and rivers came into effect. So for millions of years in the process of erosion, the landscape so unique and, not similar to anything, was created. Local people also worked hard. They have hollowed thousands of caves in the soft tuff.
The small Melendiz River, for a couple of millions of years, created a deep canyon with steep red walls, through the soft rocks made of volcanic tufa and ashes.
We enter the canyon from the exit side and we will go against the stream of the river. Higher and higher. The slope is very small. It is almost imperceptible. It is just the same as walking on a flat ground.
Within the walls of the canyon, 100 - 150 meters high, in the IX-XI centuries, the set of cave dwellings and early Christian Churches have been cut down. 105 of them have remained up to now. But only 14 are open for official survey. They have established plaques, made comfortable stairs and indexes in front of them. They slightly cleaned. However, neither protection, nor lighting can be seen here.
Inside a typical cave Church, everything is cut down from the tuff - both the altar, and niches in walls.
Gyuzelyurt
The first settlement on the site emerged in the middle of the third millennium BC.
The highest blossoming the city experienced, was in the first centuries of Christianity. It is here that, Gregory the Theologian - created the well-known Gregorian calendar.
The Church of Saint Gregory - one of the main sights of the city. It was constructed in the 4th century. And repeatedly reconstructed. In 1924, Greeks have gone to Greece, and their place was taken by Turks from Thessaloniki, the walls were whitewashed to hide the frescos decorating them. And the Church was converted into a mosque.
From Gyuzelyurt to the settlement of Sivirikhisar, stretches the Monastery Valley - a reduced in size copy of the Ihlara Valley extends. In the IV century, with the personal participation of Saint Gregory, they began to create the first cave monasteries and Churches in this valley.
Негізгі бет Turkey: Ihlara and Gyuzelyurt Valleys
Пікірлер: 2