Middle East - Anthony Ham [502]
There is decayed elegance to Hotel Natura ( 353 5030; www.clubnatura.com; Sümer Sokak 16; r incl dinner TL70), which occupies a 19th-century Ottoman-Greek mansion. Carpets are everywhere in the expansive ‘antique’ rooms, alongside lamps, pictures, hat stands and the odd broken window.
Inhabited by the same family since 1938, the Old Greek House ( 353 5306; www.oldgreekhouse.com; Şahin Caddesi; s TL60, d TL80-120) is just about the best place to try Ottoman cuisine in Cappadocia (mains TL6 to TL20, menu TL22 to TL30). Prepared by half a dozen village women, the dishes include unusual choices and some of the best baklava we tasted. The hotel is an excellent place to stay thanks to its historic aura.
Seven buses per day (less on Sunday) travel between Mustafapaşa and Ürgüp (TL1).
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IHLARA VALLEY
0382
A beautiful canyon full of rock-cut churches dating back to Byzantine times, Ihlara Valley (Ihlara Vadısı; admission TL5; 8am-6.30pm) is a must-see. Footpaths follow the course of the river, Melendiz Suyu, which flows for 13km between the narrow gorge at Ihlara village and the wide valley around Selime Monastery ( dawn-dusk).
In the words of one Slovakian traveller, Radovan: ‘The deep canyon with lots of churches and trees opens up as you approach Selime. After that you’re in a sleepy valley with the river flowing, big mountains typical of Cappadocia in the distance, and a gorgeous monastery in Selime.’
The easiest way to see the valley is on a day tour from Göreme (Click here), which allows a few hours to walk through the central part of the gorge. To get there by bus, you must change in Nevşehir and Aksaray, making it tricky to get there and back from Göreme and walk the valley in a day.
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KAYSERİ
0352 / pop 1.2 million
Mixing Seljuk tombs, mosques and modern developments, Kayseri is both Turkey’s most Islamic city after Konya and one of the country’s economic powerhouses, nicknamed the ‘Anatolian tigers’. Colourful silk headscarfs are piled in the bazaar (one of the country’s biggest) and businesses shut down at noon on Friday when many Muslims go to the mosque for prayers, but Kayseri’s religious leanings are less prominent than its manufacturing prowess. Its populates are often less approachable than folk in Göreme and around, and this can be frustrating and jarring if you arrive fresh from the fairy chimneys. However, if you are passing through this transport hub, it’s worth taking a look at a Turkish boomtown with a strong sense of its own history.
Orientation & Information
The basalt-walled citadel at the centre of the old town, just south of Cumhuriyet Meydanı (the huge main square) is a good landmark. The train station is at the northern end of Atatürk Bulvarı, 500m north of the old town. The futuristic otogar is about 3km northwest of the centre.
You’ll find banks with ATMs and a helpful tourist office ( 222 3903; Cumhuriyet Meydanı; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri) in the centre. To check your emails, head to Soner Internet Café (Düvenönü Meydanı; per hr TL1.50; 8am-midnight), west of the old town.
Sights
The fabulous citadel was constructed in the early 13th century, during the Seljuk sultan Alaattin Keykubat’s reign, then restored over the years (twice in the 15th century). Just southeast of the citadel is the wonderful Güpgüpoğlu Konağı (admission TL2; 8am-5pm Tue-Sun), a fine stone mansion dating from the 18th century, which now houses an interesting ethnographic museum.
Among Kayseri’s distinctive features are important building complexes founded by Seljuk queens and princesses, such as the impressive Mahperi Hunat Hatun Complex, east of the citadel. On the other side of the bazaar is the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque), a good example of early Seljuk style. Another striking monument is the Çifte Medrese (Twin Seminaries).