strong winds in summer, heavy
snow in winter), locals have
carved their houses into stone
pillars. Many houses, churches,
and in fact the whole city was
built in that way in the Roman
period. Nowadays, these buildings
are still around but most of them
are being used for tourism. Cave
hotels are are a favorite among
travelers in Cappadocia.
From my point of view, you
should spend at least 3 days
exploring the three main areas of
Cappadocia.
Central Cappadocia with the
regional capital Goreme and
neighboring towns like Uchisa,
Cavusin, and Ugrup are always
bustling with visitors from around
the world. In each village, you
can find numerous cave hotels,
restaurants, souvenir shops, spas,
Turkish baths, and mini-markets
selling goods till midnight.
Avanos village in parti cular,
renowned for its tranquility, is the
place where talented artists craft
the most beautiful ceramics and
hand-woven carpets in the world.
The second area includes
spectacular UNESCO heritage
sites: the Pasabag Valley and
Pigeon Valley. Pasaba means
Pacha’s vineyard in Turkish. The
place is also called Monks Valley
because of its pillars which look
like monks wearing medieval coat
and hood. The Pigeon Valley is
a valley of pigeons. Locals carve
into stone to build houses for the
pigeons to live and reproduce.
The last area consists of heritage
sites that embody the rich culture
and long history of the land.
They are underground cities
- the invaluable assets preserved
and strictly protected by the
government.
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