Türkiye is one of the attractive tourist destinations that has unique cities such as Istanbul and Cappadocia. In this article, we discuss the attractions of Istanbul and Cappadocia.
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Istanbul is one of the beautiful cities of Türkiye, which is famous for its tourist attractions, shopping centers, pleasant weather, etc. A little far from Istanbul, Cappadocia is located, which is known as the balloon city of Türkiye. Imagine a green city with historic buildings and a blue sky where you can see all the beauty of the city from inside the balloon and fly over the city like a free bird! Isn’t it beautiful?! If you are excited to imagine such an interesting experience, join us in this article to discover Istanbul to Cappadocia!
Istanbul attractions
Before anything else, it is necessary to briefly introduce the city of Istanbul and its attractions, so that dear readers can read the rest of the article with an open view of this historical city. Istanbul is one of the famous cities of Türkiye with rich history and culture, which every year countless tourists from all over the world visit its unique attractions.
To the extent that Istanbul is known as the heart and soul of Turkey and many tourists express their satisfaction after visiting this tourist city. Istanbul has many places to visit, we mention a few:
- Topkapi Palace
- Galata Tower
- Basilica reservoir
- Chura Church
- Hippodrome Square
- Dolma Baghche Palace
- Yedikole Castle (Haft Towers)
- Khorram Sultan bath
- Billerby Palace
- Qayz Qalasi (girl’s tower)
- Bogaz Bridge (Bosphorus Bridge)
- Sultan Ahmed Mosque
- Sulaymaniyah Mosque
- Rostam Pasha Mosque
- Garden spring park
- and…
If we want to name all the sightseeing places in Istanbul, we will come across a long list, which is a sign of the charm and beauty of the city of Istanbul. That is why Istanbul tour Among foreign tours, it is more attractive for Iranians!
Introducing Cappadocia
Let’s introduce Cappadocia, this charming and spectacular rock city that the human eye can’t get enough of seeing its beauty! In the past, Cappadocia was the border between Iran and Greece. But now, the rocky city of Cappadocia is geographically located in the semi-arid region of Central Anatolia, Türkiye.
Cappadocia is one of the three rocky cities in the world. This city, which looks like a beautiful painting, has special charms at night and day. The balloons that are always present in the sky of Cappadocia have made the sky of this city more spectacular. It is interesting to know that the volcanic activities of the mountains around Cappadocia have created rocks that date back centuries. The height of some of these rocks sometimes reaches 40 meters.
History of Cappadocia
If we want to examine the rocky city of Cappadocia from a historical point of view, we will see that this city has an ups and downs history. Cappadocia, known by some as Cappadocia, was known by this name when Christianity dominated the region.
In Islamic texts, Cappadocia is known as Qebdoqiyya. It is interesting to know that Nowshahir province in Cappadocia is the tourist heart of this region. Goreme is one of the most spectacular parts of Cappadocia, which has unique ancient sculptures that are worth seeing.
Cappadocia was registered as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO in 1985. This city was conquered by Mehrdad VI Pentos between 90 and 88 BC. Cappadocia is so old that Herodotus, the father of world history, also mentions it and informs about the existence of the people of Cappadocia during the Ionian revolt (499 BC).
Cappadocia attractions
If you plan to travel to Cappadocia, with Utopian Join us to explore the balloon city. In the following, we introduce some examples of tourist attractions in Balon city:
Kaimakli underground city
The underground city of Kaimakli is famous for its history. By examining historical books, we come to the point that Christians built the underground city of Kaimakli and lived there during the Byzantine period and after the Arab attack.
The underground city of Kaimakli, which consists of four floors, welcomes dear tourists and those who are interested can visit this strange city.
St. John the Baptist Church
If you are interested in church and Christian culture and traditions, St. John the Baptist Church can be a good option. This church, which is one of the largest and oldest churches in the rocky city, was built in the 4th century.
St. John the Baptist Church is very unique in terms of architecture and its cross-like shape along with the stunning designs on its walls has given it a special charm.
Och Hisar Castle
The highest point of Cappadocia is Och Hisar Castle. So, if you want to see the rock city from above, you must visit Och Heisar Castle. Och Hisar Castle was carved by the Romans in 200 years BC and due to its unique height and visibility, it became a place for soldiers during the Seljuk and Ottoman Empires. Och Hisar Castle with a height of 179 meters, along with other rocks of Cappadocia, are considered the first skyscrapers in history. Isn’t it interesting?!
Zeluh Open Air Museum
Those interested in visiting the museum, at Türkiye tour Don’t forget to visit the open-air museum of Zeluh. Zaluh open air museum was originally a village for the life of Christians and Muslims, which later became a museum over time. This museum, which dates back to the 9th century, is one of the most famous open-air museums in Türkiye. Of course, at that time it was a monastery and it was used as a residential place for a long time (until the beginning of the 20th century) and later it was turned into a museum.
Gurime
We have reached the attractive part of Cappadocia! If the colorful balloons of Cappadocia have inspired you to travel to this city, don’t forget to visit Gorimeh village. One of the recreational facilities of this village, which is considered one of the most beautiful villages in the world, is a balloon ride over the rocky city.
In fact, the reason why Kapadkia is known as the city of balloons is the village of Gurimeh. Of course, the only attraction of Gorimeh village is not its balloons, and walking around inside the village and seeing its stone houses invites you to travel back in time. The stone houses of Gorimeh were used as shelters in the past and during Arab attacks.
Ihlara Valley
Ihlara Valley is one of the most beautiful tourist attractions in Türkiye and Cappadocia. In addition to the beautiful nature, this valley has historical places and in fact, it has places of interest suitable for every tourist.
Among the historical attractions of Ihlara Valley, we can mention its church, synagogue and historical houses. On the way to Ihlara valley, there are convenience facilities such as stalls, cafes, restaurants, etc., and tourists can benefit from these facilities.
Red Valley
The Red Valley, which is located between the two villages of Gorimeh and Chavshin, is one of the most beautiful natural attractions in Cappadocia. The Red Valley, also known as the Rose Valley, was formed by a volcanic eruption. In a period of history, monks have taken refuge in the hiding places in this valley. In such a way that secret churches have been built in this valley. The churches of Rose Valley are known as the columned church, the cross and the three crosses.
The underground city of Darin Coyo
The underground city of Darin Coyo was discovered in 1963 at a depth of 85 meters, and until that year no one knew about the existence of such a strange and historical city. The underground city in Darin Coyo is a city in the true sense of the word. Because it has the capacity to accommodate 20,000 people, pets and food.
This city consists of different parts, which include the oil extraction section, the stable, the dining hall and the temple. As it is thought, the underground city in Derin Coyo was a city with all the facilities that its inhabitants could live in for a long time without contact with the surface of the earth.
You may also wonder how the inhabitants of this modern historical city breathed and had access to water. I must say that the builders of this city had considered facilities for air conditioning and water transfer from the ground and there were almost no problems to live in this city for a long time. Those interested in visiting historical places will surely be curious to see this underground city!
From Istanbul to Cappadocia!
If you plan to travel from Istanbul to Cappadocia, you have to travel a distance of 730 km. The time required to travel from Istanbul to Cappadocia by land and air is as follows:
- Distance by land: 8 hours
- Distance by air: 90 minutes
Actually, to travel from Istanbul to Cappadocia, you have to travel for a long time. But surely during this distance to see all the natural and historical attractions of Cappadocia, the fatigue of the road will be removed from the body of any tourist.
final word
In this article, we examined the tourist attractions of two beautiful cities in Türkiye, Istanbul and Cappadocia. Cappadocia means beautiful horses in Turkish. Statistics show that in 2023, about 5 million tourists have visited this historical city.
This beautiful city has unique tourist attractions that may not be found anywhere else in the world! Cappadocia, which was one of the early centers of Christianity in the world, has many churches, monasteries and underground cities. If you are planning an adventurous trip to Türkiye, don’t forget to visit Cappadocia.
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