The city of
Nevşehir is located within the boundaries of the Inner
Anatolia in a region known as
Cappadocia in the antique world. The fairy chimneys here attract worldwide attention. The fairy chimneys which are formed by natural events have hosted many civilizations since the antique ages and carried their traces to the present day.
Göreme is the heart of
Cappadocia. The first settlement in the region ranges from
Christianity to the
Roman period. In
Cappadocia there are
churches carved into stones which cannot be noticed from outside. Among these there are famous churches such as
Yılanlı Church,
Çarklı Church and
Tokalı Church. These churches are considered as hidden places of worship built before
Christianity was recognised in the 4th century. In the churches there are colourful frescoes depicting stories from the
Bible like a fable book. The
Ortahane,
Durmuş Kadir,
Yusuf Koç and
Bezirhane churches and houses carved into stones and the fairy chimneys in
Uzundere,
Bagıldere and
Zemi valley carry the mistic side of the history to the present day.
Ürgüp which has a geological structure with vulcanic origin is settled in a district where typical examples of the interesting formations called fairy chimneys caused by rain and wind are frequently seen. The fairy chimneys formed between the splits of the rocks as a result of the erosion caused by the rain and the wind have formed a very interesting landscape specific to that region.
Ürgüp , 20 km east of
Kayseri is one of the most important centers of
Cappadocia region.
Like Göreme,
Ürgüp had many names in the course of the history. The city was called
Osiana (
Assiana),
Hagios Prokopios during
Byzantine period,
Başhisar during the
Seljuk period,
Burgut Kalesi during the
Ottoman period and
Ürgüp since the first years of the Republic.
Göreme and
Ürgüp being an open air museum have become a place which highly attracts the interest of the tourists.
The National Park can be reached via the
Ankara-
Adana highway, by the highway from
Aksaray to
Niğde from west and south and via the road from
Kayseri to
Ürgüp from the east and nordeast .
