Cappadocia is the name of a region in the central Anatolia of Turkey.
It is not a city. It is a town as a part of a province called Nevsehir – city of Kayseri.
Cappadocia in unique in the world with its geographical formation. The origin of its name comes from the word ‘Katpadukya’ which means ‘The Town of Beautiful Horses’.
The town is formed by winds and rains that affected the geographical shapes of the city produced by volcanic eruptions.
The first inhabitants of the town belong to Paleolithic Age. But first written proofs belong to Hittites. Those lands where Hittites had lived once, later on has become one of the most important centers of Christianity. The houses and churches carved in caves have become a very important shelter for Christians that were escaping from the cruelty of non-believers.
Cappadocia town is a region where nature and history combine. Natural events have formed the very famous Fairy Chimneys and throughout history, people have carved houses, churches and even shelters in those chimneys. The town of Cappadocia which had harboured trade colonies throughout history, has become one the most important crossroads of the Silk Road as well
Today, it is a touristic attraction point where many foreigners and local people visit every year. Despite being a very touristic place, if you are looking for a budget trip to Cappadocia, there are many reasonable alternatives.
Personal Impression about Cappadocia: I travelled to Cappadocia in 2001.
We went there by our family car. My husband was driving the car. It was an overnight trip from Istanbul. I stayed awake for few hours and at last fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning, we have entered Goreme and I was impressed by what I saw.
At first, I thought I was still dreaming – of course it only took few moments – but when I realized that it was real I was really astonished by the beauty of the geographical shapes of Cappadocia. Especially the tall Fairy Chimneys.
I had seen many pictures of it and thought I knew what was expecting to me but in reality it was much more beautiful than I imagined. Actually the word ‘different’ would explain better my emotions. It was not like any other place I saw on earth – I travelled a lot – I have seen many very beautiful places and Cappadocia was also beautiful but not more beautiful than others BUT very different. First day we did not join any tour – despite being able to join the tours for free – we were sure that we could spend more quality time being free and my husband is Turkish and he should have been familiar with the system – it was my first year in Turkey – but at the end of the day we were a little bit disappointed.
I should confess that going free was not that boring because every single formation of Cappadocia was very impressing. The problem was, we realized that without a guide explaining us the history, it was not that meaningful. We spent the other three days by joining small group tours. It was worth it. But another warning, if you want to take a balloon tour, even if it is in the summer, take a jacket with you. It was freezing cold!.
