Cappadocia, the unique home to some of the world's most beautiful natural wonders, is the common name for the field covered by the provinces of Aksaray, Nevsehir, Nigde, Kayseri, and Kirsehir in the Central Anatolian region.
In the upper Myosin period. Cappadocia became covered by the famed "fairy chimney" stones as a result of the volcanic eruptions and erosion from the Kizilirmak river and wind over the span of thousands of years, that occurred in Erciyes, Hasandag and Gulludag. Cappadocia has been called home by the Assyrian, Hittite, Frig, Pers, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman civilizations. Early Christians, who desired an escape from the persecution of the Roman Empire in the 2nd century B.C., came to the Cappadocia over Antakya and Kayseri. These first Christians found the pre-existing underground cities in Cappadocia and began to live within them to keep themselves hidden and safe from the Romans. Because they spent many years living in these underground dwellings, the homes and villages became complex and efficient. Ventilation, churches, abbeys, water wells, toilets, meeting rooms, and even wine production systems were all created in order to make the peoples' new homes more habitable.
In the prehistoric period, early human settlers built homes in the volcanic rock formations and lived underground in order to keep themselves safe from the elements and the wild animals of the region. There are many underground cities in Cappadocia, but the largest and most well-known is Derinkuyu.
The underground cities are made up of rooms that have been carved out of the volcanic rock and then connected to one another by tunnels. The rooms and tunnels vary in size from great, to only large enough to accommodate a single person at a time.
The first human settlers of the Cappadocia region were the Hatties, Luvies, and Hittites. From 3000-2000 B.C., the Assyrians established trade colonies in this region. Tablets written in cuneiform and Assyrian were found at Kanes which highlighted the social, political, and economic practices of the period. These are the earliest written documents to have been found in Anatolia. According to these tablets, several small communities were founded during this time. Each community covered only a small area and they lived in peace amongst each other with the absence of a united leader. The region creating the core of the Hittite Empire was later dominated by the Phrigia and Pers civilizations. The Pers civilization referred to the region we know as Cappadocia as Katpatuka, and its center was Mazaka. When Datames Satrab (Satrab: district administrator at Pers) of Cappadocia rebelled against the powerful king of Pers, the other Anatolian Satrabs supported him but the revolt failed. In 33 B.C. the Alexander the Great was captured in Cappadocia. In 188 B.C., Cappadocia was dominated by the Romans. Later, in 100 B.C. it was captured by Mithridates, the king of Pontus, but in 63 B.C. the Roman Pompeius defeated Mithridates and brought Cappadocia back under the domination of Rome. In the period of Tiberius, Cappadocia gained the status of a Roman district.
Cappadocia was one of the most important places in the spreading of the Christian religion because it was used as a sanctuary by the early Christians who fled from the Romans. Saint Basileious from Kaisera and Saint Gregorios from Nyssa both settled in Cappadocia. In 647 A.D., together with the occupation of Kayseri by Muaviye, Cappadocia was met with the Arabian invasion. Cappadocia later came under the domination of the Seljuks in 1072 and was added to the lands of Ottoman Empire in 1399 by the Ottoman Sultan Yildirim Beyazit.
Many thanks for your mail.
We really enjoyed our stay in Turkey and the nice arrangements you did for us.
It has been a memorable trip for us and I wish we had few more days at our disposal.
Everything went ...
Read MoreMany thanks for your mail.
We really enjoyed our stay in Turkey and the nice arrangements you did for us.
It has been a memorable trip for us and I wish we had few more days at our disposal.
Everything went on fine and smooth and your guys did the job very well professionally, without any glitch.
Our special regards to Ms Ozlem for guiding and preparing a wonderful itinerary for us.
Many thanks and regards
Pushpender
Cairo
We just returned from a trip to Turkey – great place to go for a vacation, wonderful country, and wonderful people! I would like to recommend Turkey Travel Center to all as they put together a private tour (f...
Read MoreWe just returned from a trip to Turkey – great place to go for a vacation, wonderful country, and wonderful people! I would like to recommend Turkey Travel Center to all as they put together a private tour (for 7of us) of, Ephesus, Cappadocia, Aphrodisias and Pamukkale. The transportation and accommodation arrangements were made perfectly.
The vans were comfortable and this made two elderly people of our family on trip really happy. On the top of it, the prices were very pocket friendly and this is why I am recommending their name to all those who want to travel turkey while staying in budget.
The highlights that should not be missed: the hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, the bicycle rides and the shopping spree at Istanbul bazaars!
My trip to Cappadocia was just great. Since I had just a few days left in Turkey, the 2 days trip was just perfect. The company organized everything for me: on time pick up and transfers, plane tickets, accommo...
Read MoreMy trip to Cappadocia was just great. Since I had just a few days left in Turkey, the 2 days trip was just perfect. The company organized everything for me: on time pick up and transfers, plane tickets, accommodation, guided tours, half day meals... Everything worked perfect and they also arranged the amazing balloon trip which was one of the BEST experiences ever! I highly recommend this trip!
My friend and I just returned from Istanbul and I would like to say that it is one of the best cities I have ever been. There are so many things to do and see. It is really great day time and night time. I also...
Read MoreMy friend and I just returned from Istanbul and I would like to say that it is one of the best cities I have ever been. There are so many things to do and see. It is really great day time and night time. I also would like to thank you to our tour operator in Istanbul because of their excellent service. We took some tours and enjoyed them much. All my best…
I have found Package Tours Turkey on Tripadvisor and well all ı can say is thank you to all the team. Our stay without any trouble, nothing to stress about as everything was organized by the team. I went with ...
Read MoreI have found Package Tours Turkey on Tripadvisor and well all ı can say is thank you to all the team. Our stay without any trouble, nothing to stress about as everything was organized by the team. I went with my huge family to Turkey and we wanted to enjoy and have a perfect stay. We made our reservations about 3 months before our departure, so we would be sure everything would be prepared ahead of time. We did not know what we wanted to do and visit, and they helped us to put an itinerary for our 4 days in Istanbul (8 days total in Turkey). They are a unique tour company offering fun and affordable tours of the major attractions along the Turkey. Their tour guides share the incredible gems the city has to offer. They know their history and share unusual facts and interesting information about cities. Travelers who are looking for more than a boring history lesson will enjoy the guides' sense of humor and passion. During the tours instructors and guides provided one-on-one interest to every participant. They also made some recommendations on good, affordable restaurants and places to stay also. We probably would not have found by ourselves, or maybe with days and days of research. From several hours to several days, you can try to make both private and group tours in Turkey with this company. Try this fun and exciting way to discover new places. They have provided us the most valuable, interesting and appealing attractions of Turkey, we definitely had a good time which we relish to re-experience through their best services.
We just got back from a trip to Istanbul, Cappadochia, and Kusadasi, and Turkey Travel Group did a fantastic job for us. All of our transfers from the airports were smooth, all of our travel guides to the vario...
Read MoreWe just got back from a trip to Istanbul, Cappadochia, and Kusadasi, and Turkey Travel Group did a fantastic job for us. All of our transfers from the airports were smooth, all of our travel guides to the various sites (mosques, Topkapi Palace, Ayasophia, Ephesus, historic sites in Cappadochia) were great. I highly recommend this travel group. Very seamless. Makes for a terrific trip. Our point of contact was Aslan - I would suggest dealing with him.
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