The name Cappadocia comes from Old Persian and means something like: “Land of the Beautiful Horses” or “Land of the Black Horses”.

The beautiful and extraordinary landscape of Cappadocia is located in central Anatolia and is often referred to as a fairytale land. The reason for this is the surreal fairytale landscape formed by the 3,917m high Erciyes Mountain volcano, with its up to 3,600 year old cave houses, cave cities and 100 hot air balloons that rise in the sky every morning.

Initially, Capadocia in east-central Anatolia comprised the land between the Taurus and the Black Sea. Today, the ancient landscape of Cappadocia mainly includes the provinces of Nevsehir, Nigde, Aksaray, Kirsehir, Kayseri, Yozgat, Kahramanmaras and Malatya, as well as parts of the province of Sivas.
Göreme is considered the center of Cappadocia. The unique complex of rock formations near Göreme was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985 as a mixed cultural and natural heritage site “Göreme National Park and the Rock Structures of Capadocia”.

Hundreds of magnificent columns and minaret-like structures have been eroded from the Cappadocian rocks near Goreme. Residents of the settlements in the center of the Cappadocia region have carved out the soft volcanic deposits to build houses, churches and monasteries.

Another special feature is a large number of underground cities. Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu are the most famous of these underground cities. These have been uncovered by archaeologists since the 1960s. Other well-known cities are Avanos and Ürgüp.

Nevsehir Cappadocia Airport is approximately 45 km from the center of Cappadocia.

Climate Chart

Some Sights

Cave Cities

Several cave cities up to 20 stories deep, some 3,600 years old. Recommendation: Derinkuyu, Kaymakli and Özkonak.


Uchisar Fortress
Rock-cut fortress from Roman times, highest point in Cappadocia.



Goreme National Park
UNESCO World Heritage, many cave churches, wonderful landscape.

Ortahisar Fortress
Second most important fortress also from Roman times.

Sarihan Caravanserai

Well-preserved hostel for caravans.

Mevlana Dervishes
The monks of the Mevlana Dervish Order put themselves into meditation through their dance. Attend one of the “Dancing Dervishes” evening performances in Cappadocia.

Zelve
Cave village, open-air museum.

Ihlara Valley
15 kilometer long gorge, more than 50 churches carved into the rock from the 11th to 14th centuries.

Avanos
The small town with a millennia-old pottery culture, potteries, gondola rides on the Red River, bazaar, food in the old town restaurants.

Sultansazligi National Park
Nature reserve on the southern slope of the Erciyes Mountain volcano with the Yay salt lake.

Fairy Chimneys
Sandstone columns up to 30 meters high were formed by erosion over the last 20 million years.

Balloon Ride
Every day at sunrise, unique view, fascinating view of Cappadocia.