From Nevşehir Castle to Sarıhan, the Northern Road of Cappadocia

Begin the day on the highest hill of the city, at Nevşehir Castle. The castle stands inside a park that you reach on foot through the steep streets of the centre, and it can be explored freely. When you reach the top, first take a slow walk around the walls. The castle's plan is roughly oval; it has two gates and four round towers. Look closely at the walls and you will notice two different stones. Dark basalt was used in the original construction, and yellow stone was added in later repairs. This difference in colour is the easiest clue to how the castle was patched up over the centuries. Sources describe the date of the castle differently. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam links it to the Seljuk period and writes that it served the security of the region. Some sources, however, note that a Byzantine structure may have stood here before. At that time Nevşehir was a small village called Muşkara. The village lay at a pass where the roads of Aksaray, Niğde and Kayseri met, and it was a regular stop for caravans. The town's fate changed at the start of the eighteenth century, when Damad İbrahim Pasha, born in Muşkara, became grand vizier. The pasha turned the village into a new town, and in 1725 the settlement took the name Nevşehir, meaning new city. During this building programme the castle was repaired again and a wall was built around the town. According to the encyclopedia, in 1730 the castle held a warden, artillery soldiers, an armoury and a military band. Looking down from the walls you can see the old centre where the complex of that period stands. At the foot of the castle also stretches a wide rock-cut settlement known as Kayaşehir. This area came to light in 2014 during an urban renewal project and spreads over some four hundred thousand square metres around the castle. Excavations recorded more than a thousand rock-cut spaces, cisterns, stables and tunnels. Try to pick out these stepped openings on the slope from the hilltop; here you understand that the town also grew underground and inside the rock. Morning is the best time for photographs, as the light comes from behind you and the plain looks clear. Looking north, you can also judge the direction of your next stop. There are places to sit and rest in the park, but there is little shade on the hilltop. After coming down from the castle, take the car north onto the Gülşehir road.

Source: TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi, Nevşehir; Castles.nl, Nevşehir Castle; KÜRE Ansiklopedi, Kayaşehir.

Açıksaray stands right beside the Nevşehir-Gülşehir road, three kilometres from Gülşehir. Gülşehir, whose ancient name was Zoropassos, is a district founded on the southern bank of the Kızılırmak. When you leave your car, structures carved into tuff rock rise before you storey upon storey. According to sources, the site covers about one square kilometre and the buildings form interlocking groups around a hill. The settlement is divided into two parts by a stream running through its middle. Begin your visit in the first part beside the road; it consists mostly of animal stables. This part is thought to have served as quarters for the army of the Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros Phokas in 964 and 965. Step into the stables and look for the carved mangers and the holes where animals were tethered. Then cross to the other side of the stream. This second part is thought to have been carved as a multi-storey settlement in the middle or second half of the tenth century. What makes Açıksaray famous are the decorated facades on this side. Some facades consist of three tiers divided by blind arches and are worked into the rock like the face of a palace. Behind the facades open large halls, courtyards and dwellings with stairs. Sources mention names such as the Little Palace, the horse stable called Tavla and the Stepped Dwelling. The site also contains rock-cut structures and rock tombs from the Roman period. The function of the buildings is debated among researchers; one view interprets the place as a transit point where travellers stayed, similar to a caravanserai. At the end of your visit be sure to see the mushroom-shaped fairy chimney. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism presents this fairy chimney as unique to the region, the only one of its kind. Because the site is wide and sparsely signposted, plan a loop at the entrance and come back the same way. Do not climb onto the rocks; tuff is soft and the edges can break. The only shade is inside the hollows, so keep a hat and water with you. Midday light makes the facades look flat; photograph a facade from the side, at a shaded angle. It is also reported that there is a walking trail around the site for nature lovers. From here, follow the Kızılırmak valley east towards Avanos and Özkonak.

Source: Nevşehir İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü, Müze ve Ören Yerleri; KÜRE Ansiklopedi, Açık Saray Örenyeri; Türkiye'nin Tarihi Eserleri, Açık Saray.

The Özkonak Underground City lies in the town of Özkonak, fourteen kilometres from Avanos. The city was carved into the northern slope of Mount İdiş, at a place where the layers of volcanic tuff are very thick. This is an archaeological site under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism; check the entry conditions and opening hours on the official museum page. Spending the hottest hour of the day here is a good plan, because it is cool underground. Even so, it is wise to bring a light layer for the inside. After the entrance the passages narrow and the ceiling drops, and in many places you walk bent over. Visitors who dislike enclosed spaces can stay in the sections near the entrance. According to sources, the city was uncovered in 1972 and opened to visitors in the same year. The Ministry's text presents it as a two-level settlement; wide galleries are connected to each other by tunnels. Some foreign sources count more levels, so explore without worrying about the number of floors. The first thing to look at is the rolling stones. These large stones, which resemble millstones, were rolled to close the passages from the inside. Examine the niche where the stone stands and the gap opened to turn it. What sets Özkonak apart from Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu are the very narrow and long holes between the levels. These holes allowed communication between the floors. When the entrances of the rooms were closed, ventilation was also provided through these holes. Another detail is the holes opened in the ceiling of the tunnel just after the rolling stone. According to the Ministry's text, they were for pouring hot oil on an enemy trying to get in; other sources write that hot sand may have been poured. Look up and try to find these holes. In the galleries you will also see stables, sections used as wine presses and storerooms. The Derinkuyu Municipality's page notes that the site has not been fully cleared and that only the cleared part is open to visitors. For this reason, do not leave the marked path and do not enter closed passages. There is little light inside for photographs; shoot without flash and with a steady hand. On the way out you can stroll for a while through the quiet streets of the town. Then turn south, pass Avanos and drive to Sarıhan in the valley of the Damsa stream.

Source: Nevşehir İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü, Müze ve Ören Yerleri; Türkiye Müzeleri, Özkonak Yeraltı Şehri; Derinkuyu Belediyesi, Yeraltı Şehirleri.

The last stop of the day, the Sarıhan Caravanserai, lies about five kilometres south-east of Avanos, north of Ürgüp, in the valley of the Damsa stream. The inn stands on the Aksaray-Kayseri route, which formed the east-west link of the Silk Road. The building was erected in 1249, in the reign of the Anatolian Seljuk sultan İzzeddin Keykavus II. Sources mention it as one of the last caravanserais built by the Seljuk sultans. The cultural inventory lists the inn on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List under the Silk Road theme. As you approach, look first at the facade; the walls are thick and high, built this way to protect against bandits. The main gate faces west. Its name comes from yellow stone, but up close you will see tuff in three shades of yellow, beige and pink. These colours are arranged in a decorative pattern, especially on the arches of the gates. Spend a few minutes examining the stonework of the portal; the gates are the most ornate part of Seljuk inns. Inside you come out into a wide courtyard; the building covers an area of about two thousand square metres. Looking from the entrance, six open spaces covered with vaults line up on the left. On the right are closed rooms, also entered through decorated doorways. Across the courtyard, a second richly decorated portal opens onto the covered section. This section is covered by a hemispherical dome, and small holes in the dome let in a dim light. It is reported that in the Seljuk period travellers ate and drank free of charge for their first days in these inns and that their animals were cared for. Standing in the courtyard, imagine how a caravan full of pack animals rested here. Over time the inn partly collapsed, and in 1991 it underwent an extensive restoration. The result of the restoration is debated; some commentators admire it, while others feel the original texture was lost. Trying to tell the old stones from the new is an interesting part of the visit. Entry conditions for the interior can change, so ask before you go. Late afternoon light is the moment that best shows the warm colour of the stones; photograph the facade from slightly to the side. Sit for a few minutes in the silence of the valley and complete the day. From here, the return to Avanos or Nevşehir is a short drive.

Source: Turkish Archaeological News, Sarı Han Caravanserai; Kültür Envanteri, Sarı Han; Wikipedia, Sarıhan Kervansarayı.