Page 36 - Turkey Tour 2018 27th February (compiled)_Classical

• Zelve
About 5 km (3 mi) from Avanos and 1 km (1 mi) from Paşabağları, the site of Zelve was founded on the steep
northern slopes of Aktepe. Consisting of three separate valleys, the ruins of Zelve is the area in Cappadocia with the
highest concentration of fairy chimneys. Here, they have particularly sharp points and thick trunks. It is not known
exactly when people began living in the dwellings carved into the rock, a lifestyle also common to other places in the
region such as Uçhisar, Göreme, Cavuşin other than Zelve. What is known is that an important Christian community
lived in Zelve and it was the religious center of the area from the 9th to the 13th centuries, and the first religious
seminars for priests were held in the vicinity.

• Çavuşin (Nicephorus Phocas) Church

This church is located alongside Göreme-Avanos road at a distance of 2.5 km (1.6 mi) leaving from Göreme. The
church's narthex is missing. It has tunnel vaults, a high nave and 3 apses. It dates back to 964-965 AD.

• Güllüdere (St. Agathangelus) Church
It is located in the far left draw of the Güllüdere valley about 2 km (1 mi) from the village of Çavuşin. It was founded at
the mouth of the draw on top of a steep slope.

The design of the nave is square with a flat ceiling and it has a single broad apse. The apse was added in the 9th or
10th century to the main structure dating back to the 6th - 7th century. There are 2 or 3 layers of frescoes in the apse
which indicates that it was painted regularly. Symbols of Gospel authors are drawn symmetrically and are sitting on
the right and left of an enthroned Jesus.
In the middle of the flat ceiling is the relief of a cross in the middle of a circle surrounded with palm leaves and
garlands. This sort of relief most likely belongs to the Iconoclastic period. The people of the area had a great love for
the cross and it continued to be used as a motif after the Iconoclastic era because it symbolized the "Holy Cross"
in Jerusalem.

• Özkonak Underground City

A view from Özkonak
Located 14 km (9 mi) northeast of Avanos, this underground city was built on
the northern slopes of Mt. Idis in an area with lots of strata made up of
volcanic granite. The extensive galleries of the city are spread out over a large
area and connected to each another by tunnels. Unlike the underground cities
in Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu, there are very narrow (5 cm) and long holes
between the different levels of the city that used to provide communication
between the different levels of the city. The ventilation of these neatly carved
out rooms was provided by these holes when the city was sealed up against enemies.
The city was discovered in 1972 by the local muezzin and farmer Latif Acar, when trying to find out where the water
disappeared to when tending to his crops. He first found an underground room which, when later excavated, revealed
a whole city which housed an incredible 60,000 people for up to three months. A total of 10 floors were discovered, to
a depth 40m, although now only four are open.
Unlike the other underground cities in this area, besides the rolling stone doors, there were holes above the tunnels
used for dumping hot oil on the enemy. Similar to Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu, Özkonak has a ventilation system,
a water well, a winery and rolling stone doors.
Sources Wikpedia
Compiler Alan McGrath

Kaymakli Underground City

Kaymakli Underground City (Turkish: Kaymaklı; Cappadocian Greek: Ανακού) is contained within the citadel of
Kaymakli in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. First opened to tourists in 1964, the village is about 19 km
[1]
from Nevşehir, on the Nevşehir-Niğde road.
History

The ancient name was Enegup. Caves may have first been built in the soft volcanic rock by the Phrygians, an Indo-
European people, in the 8th–7th centuries B.C., according to the Turkish Department of Culture. [2][dead link] When the
Phrygian language died out in Romantimes, replaced with Greek, to which it was related, the inhabitants, now
[3]
[4]
Christians, expanded their underground caverns adding the chapels and inscriptions. The city was used in