Göreme Open Air Museum, Turkey
If you are heading to the Cappadocia region of Turkey then I highly recommend a visit to the Göreme open air museum.
The UNESCO world heritage showcases the surreal landscape and thousands of years of important religious relics.
Worldwide Cappacdocia is famous for unusual shaped landscapes and fairy chimney stacks and this museum is easy to get to and allows you up and close to experience such a cool area.
If you are visiting this area I would recommend at least two nights to fully appreciate the area. This post will detail a short history of the area and some photography *all of which are my own images.
View across Goreme national park
The formations:
Geologically , the landscape of the Göreme valley is made up of volcanic tuff (light, porous, igneous rock) from the extinct volcano Mt. Erciyes.
The leftover lava formations dominate the area. Over many years the wind and rain have worn the tuff formations into rock-towers known as ‘’fairy chimneys’’. Due to the shape and shelter that naturally occurred, these left the perfect opportunity to create a place to live.
The area is home to a number of cave houses, churches and frescos - first occupied by medieval Christian monks that date back to the 10th century.
The cave system also created a place for people to hide, Christians were under pressure from the Roman Empire in the 3rd century and later in the 8th century Christians were hiding from the Arab invasion. The hidden rock formations of Cappadocia allowed them to practice their religion in relative peace. That meant that plethora of chapels and churches.
Within the region, there are over 600 churches made from soft rock and in the open air museum you can visit 10 of them.
Three cave churches you should see:
The Snake Church
Saint Barbara Church
Buckle Church
A highlight for me was the church interiors, especially the Snake Church (Yılanlı Kilise) which was formed around 1100AD. The vaulted room has a barrel shaped ceiling and inside you can see mural paintings depicting ten religious figures.
I would also recommend looking for the Saint Barbara church which dates from 1100AD. The cruciform shaped church is very striking and although recently modified and restored, Saint Barbara’s contain some of the most beautiful and well preserved frescos.
Inside the design is painted in a ochre red colour and depicts geometric patterns of zig-zags, crosses, and triangles.
The church is named after Barbara who lived during the Roman era and was executed by her own father for choosing Christianity. Her father himself was then struck down by divine punishment shortly afterwards.
Finally, I would say the finest and most impressive was of the Buckle Church (Тоkalı Kilise). The church complex comprises of four different sections and dates back to the 900’s. This particular church differs from the others because of the deep blue colour used on the walls. The painted frescoes depict the life of Jesus Christ and scenes from the Torah.
If you want to enter the Dark Church you need to pay an additional fee.
There is a well marked pathway that will take you past these formations.
Getting there:
It is a short drive from the town (1 mile) and it has been an UNESCO world heritage site since 1985. On the way there we got a local taxi cab and then walked back for the return journey.
Entrance fee for foreigners was £17.00 and you could purchase your ticket from the main gate. Personally, I would avoid booking via the likes of Get Your Guide and Viator and just purchase your ticket directly from Goreme open air museum. I would also recommend taking cash to use if you wish to buy something or hire a guide. Many freelance guides linger around the entrance if you are up for a price.
The museum offers a free audio tour, so remember to pack your headphones.
At the gate you will also find some tour guides eager to show you around. There is also a WC, gift shop and places to eat. If you are lucky you might spot a handsome ginger pussycat at the ticket booth.
