MIDDLE
ANATOLIA
AFYON
One
of the far from sea cities of the Aegean Region, Afyon is famous with its
mineral water and thermal springs. Being far from the sea is not a disadvantage
for this beautiful city. Afyon, connecting Mediterranean Region to interior
Anatolia is a well- developed city, famous with its cuisine, healing waters and
natural beauties. This is where opium is most cultivated in Turkey. Afyon is
also very important with its marble sources and ruins of ancient cities. If you
want to have a restful vacation and find out the beauties of Interior Aegean
Region, pay a visit to Afyon. An ideal place to discover many ancient
civilizations that books don’t tell, Afyon will show you the healing force of
the nature. Afyon, once a popular Phrygian city will
sure have much more then
you have heard. Afyon has a special place because of its historical importance
especially in ancient times and during the foundation of Republic. Traces of
several civilisations are found in Kusura Höyüğü in Sandıklı; from Mesopotamians
to Greeks. Afyon gained more importance with opium poppy production. Evidences
show that opium was grown in the area for thousands of years, and even the name
of the city is coming from the word “opium”. Remnants of Hittite, Phrygian,
Lydian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine ages prove that Afyon has always been a
significant city with its natural healing features. Byzantines used the city as
a religious centre. The city did not lose its importance in the Ottoman period.
Afyon is full of “külliye”s (buildings adjacent to a mosque), fountains,
medreses (schools), baths and caravanserais built under Ottoman reign. These
buildings are still standing and surprise all visitors with their astonishing
architecture.
KAYSERİ
Kayseri
is a typical Anatolian city. It is internationally known with its cuisine,
waterfalls and fairy chimneys. If you enjoy cultural and historical sightseeing,
you will never regret visiting this authentic city of Anatolia. Mazaka,
Kaisareia, Kayseri…Kayseri was founded 6000 years before. In 2000 BC, Hittites
settled around Kayseri, in the Kültepe region. The independent kingdom of
Cappadocia was founded in 280 BC with a capital called Mazaka. The population of
the city was 400 000. In 17th century AC, Roman rule began. The city became a
cultural center of the Roman state in the mid-Anatolia. Byzantium rule started
in 691. Arabic invasion gave a lot of harm to the cultural and commercial
aspects of the ancient city. Turkish tribes started to rule the region after
11th century. Mongolians and Eretnains ruled the region for a while after
terrible wars. In the ancient times, trade routes met here, that is why it was
invaded by different civilizations throughout the history. In 1398, Kayseri
became an Ottoman state.
AVANOS
Avanos
lies on the
skirts of a hill by the river Kızılırmak, under the shadow of the Old Town
watching eminently over the top. Go downhill and you will see the past blending
into the modern town as you reach the river. The first known religious
settlement in Avanos is Zelve and is a few kilometers away from the modern town.
Zelve played a key role in the religious life of the region between the 9th and
13th centuries with its rock churches and monasteries. The location of the
present day Avanos was once the battleground for the destructive five-year war
between the Meds and Lydian’s. During the Seljuk period, the settlement took off
as a small village. Remains from the Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman periods are
abundant in the region.
KAPADOKYA
Many
settlements, starting from the Neolithic Age, have been found during
archaeological excavations performed in the Cappadocia region. The known history
of Cappadocia starts with the Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük. Various small
kingdoms had ruled in Cappadocia between 5000 and 4000 BC. In 2500 BC, Assyrian
tradesmen who had lived in Northern Mesopotamia built many trade colonies in
Anatolia and established the first organisation of trade. It’s thought that
Hittites had arrived at Anatolia via the Caucasus. Cappadocia was conquered by
the King Subbiuliyuma of Hittite Kingdom (in 1750’s), and became a part of
“Lower Land” of the Hittite Kingdom and remained so for nearly 500 years.
Following the fall of the Persian Empire in the hands of Alexander, the region
was first invaded by Selevkos. When King Anthiocos I of Selevkos died in 280 BC,
Ariaramnas conquered the region and established a kingdom. Despite all efforts
of King Arirathes I (163-133 BC), a later king who adored Greeks and was a
citizen of Athens, to Hellenize, the region did not show further development.
After Arirathes had died, struggles to rule Cappadocia Kingdom began, and in 17
BC Tiberius made Cappadocia a Roman province. The region’s instability ceased
when Cappadocia became a Roman Province. Romans constructed a road towards the
west and reached the Aegean after they captured the region. This road was
important for both the military and commerce. When the Roman Empire divided into
two, Cappadocia remained under the influence of East Roman Empire. 7. In the
first half of the 7C, there were many battles between Byzantines and Sasanis.
Due to its dominant status over the strategic passages in Toros Mountains,
Cappadocia was considered to be very important by the Byzantines too, and they
made the region a thema The defeat of Byzantine Emperor Romanos Diogenes by
Alparslan, son of Seljuk Bey’s grandson, in 1071 resulted in the retreat of
Byzantines and the start of a new era in Anatolia.
In 1075, Anatolian Seljuk State was established. And Cappadocia fell under the
rule of Seljukians when Kayseri was conquered in 1082. Consequently Anatolia,
which had once been one of the important settlements and expansion territories
for Christians, joined the territories from North Africa to Middle and Near East
under the influence of Islam. Cappadocia Region experienced a peaceful and quiet
period in the first few years of Ottoman Rule. Nevşehir had been a small village
of Niğde until Damat Ibrahim Pasha Period. 18. Mosques, complexes, and fountains
were built in Nevşehir, Gülşehir, Özkonak, Avanos and Ürgüp in early 18th
century, especially in the time of Damat Ibrahim Pasha. As in Seljukian Period,
Christians who lived in the region were treated tolerantly in the Ottoman Period
as well.
ÜRGÜP
Ürgüp
is located on the skirts of a hill overlooking the plains of the
surrounding barren plains enriched by peculiar rock formations. Raise your head
from the handcraft stands on the streets, and you will see the hilltop, a work
that took the nature millions of years and finished by men. Wherever you go in
Ürgüp, you will see the cooperation of nature and men surrounding you.
The “fairy chimneys” in
Ürgüp are peculiar rock formations that were shaped in a million year process of
depreciation. Geologically, the process is still going on in infinitesimally,
too slow for human life to be noticed. It is impossible not to feel it though,
and this feeling is what attracts thousands of visitors to the region every year.
The first settlements in Ürgüp date back to the Stone Age, while the present day
Ürgüp was an important city in the Seljuki period. The marble fountains built by
master stonemasons with inscriptions from various poets are the contributions of
the Ottomans to the city, along with many tombs and mosques around.
GÖREME
In
Göreme, you can witness the
daily life going on inside cave houses, hardly disturbed by incoming visitors
from all over the world. Most of the local population still lives in houses
carved into million year old rock formations, and you can join the life in caves
in this small village, whose architect is the nature.
The
first appearance of Göreme is in historical documents from the 5th century,
while archeological findings suggest an older settlement. The region was a
religious center with its monastery complex of churches and residences built in
extraordinary rock formations called “fairy chimneys”. The religious life in the
region took shape in the hands of St. Basil, the major saint of Cappadocia. The
monastery was not a secluded spot for a community that sought isolation; rather,
it was a sanctuary for the people of the region, a spiritual shelter that gave
comfort to all who came to visit.