Two Castles Carved into Tuff, Uçhisar and Ortahisar

Lookouts Above the Valleys

When people think of Cappadocia, fairy chimneys and valleys come to mind first; yet above this landscape stand two more pointed rocks that can be picked out even from far away. These are the castles of Uçhisar and Ortahisar. The Uçhisar page of the Culture Portal says that the castles of Başhisar (Ürgüp), Ortahisar and Uçhisar, built on the highest points of the region, formed three important protection points of Nevşehir in the Seljuk period. In other words, these three castles are not independent viewpoints standing side by side but parts of the same system of defence and observation. This article walks around two of that trio, the ones closest to the centre of Nevşehir.

What the castles share is that the natural rock itself became the fortress. Instead of a classic castle ringed by stone walls, the inside of the tuff rock was carved, and rooms, cisterns and storerooms were opened directly into the body of the rock. Because this soft tuff could be carved, the inside of the rock could become rooms and storage.

What Uçhisar Castle Looks Like

According to the Culture Portal, Uçhisar Castle, about five kilometres from the centre of Nevşehir, consists of two pointed rocks joined together. Local people call the larger one the Ağa's Castle and the smaller one the Çavuş's Castle. With a structure rising more than fifty metres from the south and more than one hundred metres from the north, the castle resembles a skyscraper. Since the source gives the two measurements side by side, it is enough to note that the rock looks a different height depending on the direction you view it from; the page does not explain the reason for the difference between directions, and I do not speculate.

To get to know the castle, look at it from a distance first. The Culture Portal writes that the castle stands on the Ürgüp and Göreme road and can be seen from many points in Cappadocia; so while driving you notice the silhouette of the rock beforehand.

Carved Rooms, Cisterns and Jars

The Culture Portal notes that at the summit of the castle there are many carved jars, carved tombs and a large cistern. The same page writes that since the Roman period the castle has been carved, and many rooms, houses, shelters, storerooms, cisterns, tombs and cellars were made inside it. So the castle is not only a lookout post but a settlement where people lived for a long time. Elements such as jars and cisterns suggest, in general, that food and water could be stored inside the rock.

The same source says the castle was an important defensive point against Arab raids. It also states that large stone balls were kept on it for use against attackers. This detail shows that the rock was designed not only as a passive shelter but as an active defensive structure. The history page of Uçhisar Municipality likewise describes the castle as used as a natural refuge and lookout point, and says it took on a defensive role against Arab raids in the Byzantine period.

From Castle to Settlement

Uçhisar Castle kept its importance in the Seljuk and Beylik periods, that is, between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. According to the Culture Portal, in this period the castle held the position of a frontier principality and a dense population lived around it. It is known that the brother of the Bey of Kayseri was the Bey of Uçhisar. It is reported that after the Ottoman principality took control of the region together with Bayezid II, the castle surrendered to Bayezid II.

As for Ottoman records, in the first population census, held in 1530, about three thousand people were found to be living in Uçhisar. The castle remained a settlement lived in and around until the 1960s. Today, according to Uçhisar Municipality, the name of the town comes directly from this castle. The municipality page also writes that in the Seljuk and Ottoman periods Uçhisar lay on a trade route, and that it was revived by tourism in the Republican era.

The history page of Uçhisar Municipality lists the past of the town period by period. According to the page, settlement continued in the Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman periods, and the castle was used as both a lookout and a defensive point. This sequence shows that the castle is not the work of a single age but was used layer upon layer. Looking at the carved jars and the cistern as you climb, and imagining this long chain of use, is an experience as valuable as the view.

Looking at Cappadocia from Uçhisar

The real appeal of the castle is the view from the summit. According to the Culture Portal, from here you can see all the valleys from Pigeon Valley toward Avanos, Ortahisar Castle, Göreme, the Göreme Open Air Museum, Kılıçlar Valley, Kızılçukur, Güllüdere, Çavuşin, Boztepe, Aktepe and Avanos. Looking north you can make out the Cevizli fairy chimneys, to the west Nevşehir and Mount Oylu, directly in front of the castle new Uçhisar, and far to the southwest the summit of Hasan Dağı. The same page names Uçhisar as one of the places where Mount Erciyes is best seen. Seeing together the volcanoes that shaped the region adds a different meaning to the view.

Set yourself a simple method for reading the view. First turn north and look at the valleys and the Cevizli fairy chimneys, then turn west to Nevşehir and Mount Oylu, and finally turn southwest to the summit of Hasan Dağı. Trying to find the points named in the source in each direction divides the wide view into meaningful pieces. If you are taking photographs, a wide angle works for the valleys and a zoom for the distant mountain peaks.

The redness the valleys take on at sunset and the change of colours is an experience the Culture Portal also specifically emphasises. If you want to catch the light, go up to the summit before the sun goes down and take your place early. The castle's opening hours and visiting conditions may change; for current information, check the website of Uçhisar Municipality. I do not give the hours as figures in this article.

Ortahisar Castle in the Middle of the Town

According to the Culture Portal, Ortahisar is one kilometre from the Ürgüp-Nevşehir road and is an old settlement. The castle stands in the district centre; the historic rock-castle can be seen from the main road and is more than fifty metres high. The page writes that the rocks are thought to have been carved in the time of the Hittites; this view is at the level of an assumption and should not be read as a firm date. The same page calls Ortahisar an interesting viewing and photography point and names it as the first town in the region to open to tourism. This superlative belongs to the official page and is relayed here only according to that page.

Whether one can enter Ortahisar Castle and its visiting conditions could not be verified in official sources. For that reason I describe the castle as a rock watched from outside and walked around. Asking the Nevşehir Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism is the safest way to learn the entry conditions. Inside the town you can look at the rock from different streets and see how the castle relates to the fabric of the town.

The Culture Portal also describes Ortahisar as a very lively centre of culture and trade. This means the castle should be seen not just as a viewpoint but as a structure standing in the middle of daily life. When you reach the town, look at the rock from different distances; from close up you see the carved openings and surface texture, from afar the huge scale rising right beside the town. Stop in a safe place by the roadside to take photographs, and watch out for traffic.

Visiting Two Castles in One Day

According to the Culture Portal, you can reach Uçhisar from the centre of Nevşehir by bus; for those going by private car, the castle is on the Ürgüp and Göreme road. The same page says vehicles leave the centre for the town at regular intervals; since frequency may change, check the bus information of Uçhisar Municipality. For Ortahisar, too, it is reported that buses and taxis run from the centre of Nevşehir.

A sensible day plan is to start in Uçhisar in the morning, move to Ortahisar in the afternoon and, if you wish, continue toward Ürgüp. In Uçhisar, walking the streets around the castle, watching the view from the summit and timing your visit for sunset make a good flow. Since the sources do not give the distance between the two towns, I do not state it; you can check a map application for transport.

The two castles complement each other. Uçhisar is where you climb to the summit to watch the view and read a long settlement history in the carved jars and cisterns. Ortahisar is a stop seen from the main road, where the rock in the middle of the town is watched from outside. The first is a story of looking down from a height, the second of looking up. Seen in sequence, you will also have followed in one day today's counterpart of two of the three protection points of Nevşehir in the Seljuk period.

The castles are part of the cultural fabric of the region within the framework of Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, which UNESCO added to the World Heritage List in 1985. The Culture Portal's page on this framework also counts the civil architecture of Ürgüp, Mustafapaşa, Avanos, Göreme and Uçhisar among the cultural values to be seen in Cappadocia. While walking in the towns, pay attention to this civil fabric as well.

On the walk, cobbled and sloping streets await you. Wear comfortable shoes with non-slip soles, carry water and take enough breaks during the day. Bearing in mind that there may be sloping and stepped sections, keep to your own pace.

Sources

• Kültür Portalı, Uçhisar Kalesi, https://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/nevsehir/gezilecekyer/uchsar-kales
• Kültür Portalı, Ortahisar Kalesi, https://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/nevsehir/gezilecekyer/ortahsar-kales
• Uçhisar Belediyesi, Uçhisar Tarihçe, https://www.uchisar.bel.tr/uchisar-tarihce/
• Kültür Portalı, Göreme Milli Parkı ve Kapadokya, https://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/portal/gorememilliparkivekapadokya