We woke early (for the second time that morning, after the 5 a.m. call of the muezzin) and marched down to the Goreme Open Air Museum in time for the opening of its doors at 8 a.m. I was hoping thereby to arrive before the tour groups (Clem tolerating rather than joining my obsession with avoiding them), but as we approached the entrance we were passed by a couple of huge coaches. As it happened we managed to stay ahead of the few early-rising tour groups and were allowed to enjoy the museum in relative peace. It was only as we left that the hordes began to descend in full force.
 |
| Arriving ahead of the tour groups |
As we have mentioned before, Cappadocia was a bastion of Christianity from as early as the 2nd century AD, and many churches were carved into the region's soft volcanic rock. The Open Air Museum encompasses around ten of these churches, mostly dating from the 11th and 12th centuries, all within a few hundred metres of each other.
 |
| Balloons over the rock-hewn churches of Goreme Open Air Museum |
We started with the Church of St Basil the Great, who was Bishop of Caesarea (now called Kayseri) in the 4th century AD. We then headed uphill to the most impressive of the churches, the Dark Church. The sign outside warned that visits should be limited to three minutes, but thankfully we were well ahead of the tour groups so had the church to ourselves and could enjoy at our leisure. The Dark Church is thus named because there is just one small window so only minimal light can enter. This has ensured that the impressive frescoes are the best-preserved in the region.
 |
| Looking up at the Dark Church |
 |
| Inside the Dark Church |
 |
| Well-preserved frescoes |
 |
| More frescoes |
We visited several other churches nearby, as well as a few caves used as kitchens, larders, and dining rooms. Just outside the main entrance of the museum was the 10th century Buckle Church, the earliest known rock-hewn church in the region. Beautiful deep blue frescoes decorated the vaulted ceiling and walls of the church, almost as well-preserved as those of the Dark Church.
 |
| Another church |
 |
| A long dining table, we guessed |
 |
| The hordes arrive as we leave |
 |
| Outside Buckle Church |
 |
| Inside Buckle Church |
We returned to the Caravanserai for a late breakfast, then packed up and checked out, ready to move across town to another hotel (which we had booked in advance, as we had fancied trying out two different places in Goreme). Coincidentally, the Elysee Pension was owned by the same family as the Caravanserai, which amused our hosts greatly.
Leaving our bags at the Caravansarai, we caught the public bus to Nevsehir, the provincial capital around 20 minutes west of Goreme. From there we caught another bus, heading south for the underground city of Kaymakli. The bus dropped us at the start of a short climb through the village, past numerous stalls selling tourist tat. Evading the touts (no match for their Indian counterparts) we arrived at the entrance to the underground city. The entrance had been knocked through a wall in 1964, when the city was opened up for visitors. We hired a guide to lead us through the labyrinth, hoping that he would be able to show us a few secret tunnels off the beaten path.
The underground city of Kaymakli, called Enegup in ancient times, was carved out from the soft volcanic rock over an area of around 25,000 square kilometres on eight levels, and we were told it could accommodate around 5,000 people. Although we call it an underground city it was in fact only used to retreat from raiders (albeit sometimes for long periods of time), connected to people's everyday homes by secret passageways.
The narrow tunnels, which forced us to proceed in single file and with backs hunched, wound further and further down through the bowels of the hill. At short intervals the tunnels emerged into larger rooms, used as family residences, churches, or even wineries. As we travelled further and further down, to around 30 metres below ground, the tunnels became even narrower and the rooms smaller.
 |
| A large room inside the underground city |
 |
| The altar of a church |
 |
| Clem at the hole for confession |
 |
| Collecting the juice from the grape press |
 |
| Tucked up in one family's room |
 |
| Massive stone door |
 |
| Stone for grinding spices etc. |
Our guide showed us down several tiny passages, handing us the torch so we could explore for ourselves until we reached the end of the dark tunnel and had to turn back. Finally he sent us down a tunnel that we could navigate only with an immensely graceful "squat and shuffle". We were on strict instructions not to go more than ten metres down the passage, where we found a very small room that measured no more than four feet from floor to ceiling. He need not have worried; by that point we were more than happy to turn around (rather awkwardly) and make our way back up to the light.
 |
| Proceeding by torchlight |
 |
| The "squat and shuffle" in action |
 |
| Not much room for manoeuvre |
From Nevsehir we decided to take the bus to Uchisar and then to walk back to Goreme, passing again through Pigeon Valley but this time under blazing sunshine. We then enjoyed a well-earned lunch on a sun-baked terrace in the middle of Goreme. We both had a very tasty local dish, a kebab cooked in a ceramic pot that was broken as the plate was set down in front of us. After lunch we moved our bags from the Caravenserai to the Elysee Pension, before collapsing in our very comfortable and spacious room to enjoy an afternoon nap.
 |
| Back at Uchisar citadel |
 |
| Erciyes volcano in the distance |
 |
| The return to Pigeon Valley |
We were then slightly reluctant to leave the comfortable environs of the Elysee (well, I mostly speak for my lazy self), but we did finally venture out for what turned out to be an excellent dinner. We then enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep, uninterrupted by the muezzin.
No comments:
Post a Comment