David scratches another one off of his bucket list with this epic trip through the region of Cappadocia. Watch as we show you the top things to see and do in Cappadocia.
First stop is the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Goreme Open Air Museum. This area supported a large Christian community for several centuries. By the 4th century, Saint Basel had founded various religious settlements in the area. The Göreme Open Air Museum is a testament to St. Basil’s influence – it is a place where daily worship was carried out in seclusion.
Then onto some arts and crafts. Turkey is known for its intricate hand woven rugs (Kilim), and Cappadocia is a great place to see them being made and also to purchase them if you are interested. David toured Gallery Cappadocia and spoke with the manager about why people should come see the rugs being made. Also, the selection here is amazing! Shopping for rugs in Istanbul can be a headache if you don’t speak the language, which is why many tourists instead prefer to shop for them in Cappadocia where there are less crowds.
David then heads to the town of Avanos to visit the Firca pottery workshop. There, the artists are working meticulously to freehand patterns and calligraphy. Visitors will get a demonstration on how the pottery is formed and will get the chance to browse an extensive inventory of remarkable quality.
We can then see the cluster of fairy chimneys in Cavusin Village, during which David gives us an explanation of how these unusual rock formations are formed. Basically, wind erosion leave each rocky mound with a “hat.”
The Kaymakli Underground City (UNESCO) is another great example of the wonder Cappadocia holds. During the Roman Era, Christian communities used them to hide from religious persecution. There are several underground cities in Cappadocia, many of which are interconnected with tunnels. Kaymakli is several layers deep, with long passages, narrow steps, and a complex tunnel system connecting the rooms. Definitely one of the top things to see and do in Cappadocia!
Back outside David tours the Valley of the Monks in the village of Pasabag. Pasabag valley contains some of the most striking fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. After the hike, David strolls the town of Mustafapasa.
A tour of the Saruhan was an interesting experience, especially since the building was used as an inn for traders traveling along the Silk Road. David continues his journey into the Zelve Valley, the village of Urgup to see some of Cappadocia’s most famous fairy chimneys, and up to the top of the castle of Uchisar to get fantastic panoramic views.
Finally, David shows us the number 1 thing to do in Cappadocia… take a hot air balloon ride! This is the best way to experience Cappadocia from above and appreciate the distinct rock formations unlike anywhere else on earth.
If you’re planning on heading to Cappadocia, we highly recommend Euphrates Tours. They helped us explore this fascinating region and do everything you watched in this video.
About Me: My name is David Hoffmann and for the last decade I have been traveling around the world in search of unique culture, food and history! Since starting Davidsbeenhere in 2008, I have traveled to 71 countries and over 1,000 destinations, which I welcome you to check out on my YouTube Channel, blog and social medias.
I focus a great deal on food and historic sites, as you probably have seen! I love to experience the different flavors that each destination has to offer, whether it’s casual Street food or gourmet restaurant dining. I’m also passionate about learning the local history and culture.
We're about to enter the Goreme Open Air Museum.
This is a monastic settlement dating back to the 6th century.
And here we're going to see 10 different churches.
Inside the churches we're going to see great examples of early Byzantine Christian art dating back to the 10th and 11th century.
Let's go inside.
When you come to Goreme, make sure to wear comfortable walking shoes.
Now for some arts and crafts.
We're here at Gallery Cappadocia.
This is a weaving center.
And here we're going to learn how they create natural dyes.
And we're going to see them create carpets.
Now let's go inside.
My name is Ali.
This is actually a beautiful carpet weaving center.
But it's like a family cottage, I should say.
So this is amazingly getting very much dyeing art.
Because the younger generations, you know, they do not have so much patience about the work.
We will be very happy to see everybody here.
We're going to teach them actually how we create the rugs.
And we're going to teach them actually about the patience and the skill.
It is very much like sometimes mesmerizing.
Don't feel that you cannot do it.
You need just patience.
We just visited Firca, a pottery workshop here in Avanos.
If you didn't know, pottery has been part of the Cappadocian culture for centuries.
Now check out what we just saw.
My name is Salih.
And this is our family business.
My family has been working in this cave almost 200 years.
A long time here.
Our workshop is also in this place.
You can see some masters downstairs.
They are still working.
I mean, you can check them how they do it by free hand.
And you can see the kiln, everything here.
And here we use two kinds of clay works actually.
Red and white clay.
Mostly we use white clay because functional things we can produce.
You can see some over there.
Mostly family design over here.
You know, Italian patterns and classical Anatolians.
You can see.
I mean, this is business.
But not only business for us.
Important things.
We want to continue this art to next generations.
That's why we train the people here also.
Now we head back outside to see the amazing rock formations Cappadocia is known for.
Behind me we have a cluster of fairy chimneys.
Now these chimneys are very unique.
Because on top of it they have something called a hat.
Now over the centuries the layer between the hat and the chimney eroded.
This is found next to the abandoned cave village of Ciaosin.
We're here at Kamakli.
One of the many underground cities here in Cappadocia.
This is the biggest.
It's not the deepest but it is the largest.
And it's four levels deep.
It's about 4,000 years old.
And during the Roman period early Christians used the underground city as a hiding place.
Now let's go inside.
This is the best place in Cappadocia for understanding the process of how the rocks were formed.
And the reason they call it the Valley of the Monks.
Is because there's a monastery here dedicated to Saint Simon.
Which we're going to see in one minute.
Let's go over there.
We're here in the town of Mustafa Pasha.
It's Greek name is Sinasos.
For hundreds of years this was traditionally a Greek village.
Until the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
Behind me we have the entrance to Sarahan.
It was built in 1249.
And this was a hotel for traders on the Silk Road.
They were allowed to stay here with their animals for up to three nights.
Right now it's a cultural center.
And you should come here during the day to see it.
And you can come at night to see the whirling dervishes show.
We're walking in the open air museum of Zelbe.
This is made up of three valleys.
It was the longest inhabited area in Cappadocia.
Dating over 3,000 years.
Until the early 60s when all the inhabitants moved out of here because of erosion.
This is one of the places in Cappadocia where Christian Greeks and Turkish Muslims lived together in harmony.
We're standing in front of the three beautifuls of Urgup.
Which is basically a family of fairy chimneys.
As you can see right here we have four of them.
And this one on the far end has also another one closer in.
Which you really can't see it but it's there.
Urgup is also famous because it was the first place in Cappadocia to create a cave hotel.
Check this out.
We have the town of Ucisar.
At the center of the town we have the tallest fairy chimney in all of Cappadocia.
That fairy chimney was occupied by the Romans and then eventually became a castle.
The top of the castle features an acropolis.
From there you have stunning views of Cappadocia.
So the room that we have behind me.
The reason they know it was a room is because it was completely plastered.
To the left right here is where they would store snow.
And as it would melt it would have a deposit for water.
Hello everyone it's 5am right now and we're about to take a hot air balloon ride here in Cappadocia.
We're working with Kaya Balloons which is one of over 20 different companies here.
Make sure that you set up your hot air balloon ride for the first few days that you're here.
Because you don't want to risk it on the last day.
It might be windy and then you might miss it.
So now up up and away.
There's no better way to get a feel for Cappadocia's strange landscape than taking a hot air balloon ride.
The ridges and unusual rock formations are best seen from 1000 meters above ground.
Most pilots agree that this is the most scenic place in the world for a hot air balloon ride.
So when visiting Turkey don't miss out on experiencing this amazing region.
