|
| |
|
Göreme |
| |
|
|
| |
The small town of GÖREME is of central importance to Cappadocian
tourism, principally because it is the best-known of the few remaining
Cappadocian villages whose rock-cut houses and "fairy chimneys" are
still inhabited. However, in the last few years these ancient living
quarters have slowly been destroyed by development and tourism, which
has led to a "Save Göreme" campaign to try to get the government to act
in order to preserve the unique geology that has provided homes to the
indigenous population for hundreds of years. It is still possible to get
away from what is now essentially a holiday village, though, and the
tufa landscapes are just a short stroll away. Göreme also makes a good
base from which to explore the nearby attractions and sites. When
approaching Göreme from elsewhere in Turkey, bear in mind that only two
bus companies - Göreme and Nevtour - actually travel here direct. Other
firms may sell you a ticket to Göreme, but will actually drop you off in
Nevsehir, from where you'll have to continue your journey by local bus
or dolmus (the last of which leaves Nevsehir at about 6pm).
There are two churches in the hills above, the Durmus Kadir Kilisesi ,
clearly visible across the vineyard next to a cave-house with rock-cut
steps, and the double-domed Karsibucak Yusuf Koç Kilisesi , which houses
frescoes in very good condition. About 2km outside the village, the
Göreme Open-Air Museum (daily 8am-6pm; winter closes 5pm; $5), up a
steep hill on the road to Ürgüp, is the best known and most visited of
all the monastic settlements in the Cappadocia region, the site of over
thirty churches, mainly dating from the ninth to the end of the eleventh
century and containing some of the best of all the frescoes in
Cappadocia. Most are barely discernible from the outside, apart from a
few small holes serving as windows or air shafts. But inside, the
churches re-create many of the features of Byzantine buildings, with
domes, barrel-vaulted ceilings and cruciform plans supported by mock
pillars, capitals and pendentives. The best-preserved church is the
Tokali Kilise (Church with the Buckle), located away from the others on
the opposite side of the road about 50m back towards the village. It's
two churches, in fact, both frescoed, an Old Church , dating from the
920s, and a New Church , whose frescoes represent some of the finest
examples of tenth-century Byzantine art. The best known of the churches
in the main complex are the three columned churches, the Elmali Kilise
(Church of the Apple), the Karanlik Kilise (Dark Church; $10 extra)
whose frescoes have recently been restored, and the Çarikli Kilise
(Church of the Sandals) - eleventh-century churches heavily influenced
by Byzantine forms and painted with superb skill. Look, too, at the
church of St Barbara , named after the depiction of the saint on the
north wall, although most famous for the strange insect figure, the
significance of which can only be guessed at.
|
| |
|
