History of Cappadocia

• 01 /  August 2023

History of Cappadocia

Cappadocia is the region where most of the soft layers formed by lava and ashes erupted by Erciyes, Hasandağı and Göllüdağ 60 million years ago were eroded by rain and wind throughout the year.

The Cappadocia region is a place where nature and history come together. While their geographical locations were forming the Fairy Chimneys, in the historical process, people carved churches and monasteries into these fairy chimneys and decorated them with frescoes and carried the history of civilizations of thousands of years. The written history of Cappadocia, where human settlements date back to the Paleolithic period, begins with the Hittites. Cappadocia, which has hosted trade colonies throughout history and established a commercial and social bridge between countries, is also one of the important crossroads of the Silk Road.

A dark period begins in the region with the results of the Hittite Empire of the 12th century BC. During this period, the Hittite Kings, who had Assyrian and Phrygian influences, dominated the region. These kingdoms last until the Persian invasion in the 6th century BC.

Alexander the Great defeats the Persians in 332 BC, but encounters great resistance in Cappadocia. In this period, the Cappadocia empire is established. Towards the end of the 3rd century BC, the power of the Romans began to hiss in the region. In the 1st century BC, Kings of Cappadocia were appointed and dethroned by the power of Roman generals. When the last king of Cappadocia died in AD 17, the region became a province of Rome.

Christians came to Cappadocia in the 3rd century AD and the region became a center of education and thought for them. Between the years 303-308, the pressure applied to the Christians increased. However, it is an ideal place to be protected from the pressures of Cappadocia and to spread the Christian teaching. Deep valleys and bunkers carved from volcanic soft rocks form a safe haven against Roman troops.
Location of Cappadocia Region in Anatolia

In the 4th century, people who later ruled as the “Fathers of Cappadocia” become the period. But the importance of the building, III. It reaches its climax with the banning of Leon’s icons. In the face of this situation, some pro-icon people begin to take shelter in the region. The iconoclasm movement takes a hundred paintings (726-843). In this period, although a few Cappadocian churches were under the influence of Iconoclasm, those who were in favor of the icon continued their worship there. Cappadocia monasteries are developing quite a lot in this period.

Again, during this period, Arab raids began in the Christian regions of Anatolia from Armenia to Cappadocia. This causes the people coming from the region to escape from these raids to use the styles of the churches in the region. In the 11th and 12th centuries, Cappadocia passed into the hands of the Seljuk Dynasty. During this and the following Ottoman times, a complex period passes in the region. The last Christians in the region left Cappadocia, with beautiful architectural landscapes behind them, with the population exchange in 1924-26.

Avanos, Ürgüp, Göreme, Akvadi, Uçhisar and Ortahisar Castles, El Nazar Church, Aynalı, Güvercinlik Valley, Derinkuyu, Kaymaklı, Özkonak Underground Cities, Ihlara Valley, Selime Village, Çavuşin, Güllüdere Valley, Paşabağ-Zelve Anapınar Village are the places to be determined. .

Traditional Cappadocia houses and pigeon houses carved into the rocks show the authenticity of the region. These houses were built on the slopes in the 19th century either from rocks or from cut stone.

Due to the volcanic nature of the region, the stone, which is the only architectural material of the region, can be processed very easily because it is soft after it comes out of the quarry, but after it comes into contact with the air, it hardens and turns into a very durable building material.

Due to its abundance in the regions used and its easy operation, stonework unique to the region has developed and gained an architectural tradition. The material of the house doors around the courtyard is wood. The upper part of the arched doors is taken with stylized ivy or rosette motifs.

The dovecotes in the region are the sons of the 19th century, small structures built in the 18th century. The surface of the dovecotes is distinguished by the local region with rich decorations and inscriptions. The region is also famous for its winemaking and grape growing.