Cappadocia is one of the most favourite tourist destinations in Turkey and if you want to know why this is so, here are ten things that you probably didn’t know about this place.

  1. Cappadocia used to be a part of Ancient Greece but Ottoman Turks recovered it from Roman and Greece influence and made it a part of their empire.
  2. Ancient Cappadocia was mainly a monastery. The way of life was established by the Basil of Caesarea who persuaded the Christian monks to congregate in the monasteries and to pray together.
  3. Göreme had three names. This Cappadocia town was originally named Avcılar, meaning Hunters. Then it was named Maccan until it was changed again about 30 years ago to its current name, Göreme.
  4. Göreme, literally means “one cannot see in here” and it was in reference to the way the Christians had hidden from the Arabs after they retreated during the invasion. The underground cities became the Christians’ hiding places.
  5. These underground cities really had everything the people needed to survive, including tubes for fresh air, storage rooms, toilets, and even places for the animals.
  6. Cappadocia’s main tourist attraction is it’s mushroom-shaped lunar-like fairy chimneys. These were naturally formed through volcanic sediment erosion, which solidified and turned into a solid formation called tuff. These tuff rocks have been carved perfectly into underground shelters. These fairy houses are straight up and some really do resemble chimneys.
  7. Cappadocia was formed about four million years after a succession of volcanic eruptions that shook the Central Anatolia terrain.
  8. Though this part of Turkey is popular to the tourist, not all its parts are known to travellers or even get visited. One of the less-visited parts is Gulsehir, where every visitor is treated with warmth and friendliness.
  9. If you want to see this place in all its glory, the best thing for you to do is to ride a hot air balloon. Up there in the air, you will get the feeling like you are in a space ship and watching the moon’s surface.
  10. One of Cappacodia’s pride and joy is Mount Aktepe located near the Rock Sites and Goreme. This site is a UNESCO World Heritage site.


    A visit to Cappadocia is like a visit to another planet. The rock formations are truly amazing and it shows you how nature can really play along with everything. If you are thinking of taking a Turkish vacation, this city should be on your list.