Old Testament Prophet with scroll © Sybille Yates

Along with Fairy Chimneys, the other unique attraction in Cappadocia is a whole series of Underground Churches, carved into the soft rock. Most have been decorated internally with an amazing variety of wall paintings and frescoes. There are rock carved Churches scattered right across Cappadocia but some of the most interesting and best preserved, lie in the upper part of the Göreme Valley, a few kilometres west of Ürgüp.

Christians settled in this part of Cappadocia in the second and third centuries AD. They carved and built these Churches and associated settlements, seeking to escape Roman persecution of their faith. After the Roman Empire adopted the Christian faith, there was less need to hide away in this remote area. But monastic and teaching communities remained.

From the seventh century AD and onwards, the increasing spread of Islam led more Christians . . . → Read More: Cappadocia – Land of Underground Churches