Original paper
The Geoheritage of Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, Turkey
Ertek, T. Ahmet
Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, Supplementary Issues Volume 62 Supplementary Issue 3 (2021), p. 333 - 348
published: Mar 12, 2021
DOI: 10.1127/zfg_suppl/2021/0702
ArtNo. ESP023106203021, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
Göreme National Park; located in the central part of Turkey’s oldest national park has fairy chimneys (earth pillars), badlands topography,canyons and valleys, man-made underground cities and with rock sites. The fairy chimneys and undergroundcities are found in Ürgüp-Göreme Region are on the grounds with morphology of interesting fairy chimneys, which spread in the rare places of the world. This area opened to foreign tourism in 1960, the United Nations was inscribed as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1985 and has been included in the 9883,81 hectares. It has been declared as the Turkey’s 5th national park in 1986. Every year hundreds of thousands of tourists visit this cultural area in Anatolia. The valley and fairy chimneyswere engraved by men are considered to be comprised ofculture and cave tourisms as they are traces of ancient settlements and furthermore the churches and monastries can be considered within religious tourism. The fairy chimneysare evaluated in visial respects in nature tourism constitute an attractive force of high values in Cappadocia between Ürgüp and Göreme district in regarding form, colour, intensity and dimensions. Ürgüp-Göreme-Avanos among the remaining triangular area of about 32 km2 and its vicinity "Cappadocia Region” located. Göreme, Zelve, Paşabağı, Kızıl, Pancarlık, Çavuşin, Devrent, Üzengi, Çat, Aşıklar, Kılıçlar, Güllüdere, Güvencinlik, Soğanlı, Bağlıdere, Görkün Dere, Halaç Dere, Ihlara, Açıksaray, Yeşilöz, Güzelöz valleys; Durmuş Kadir, Yusuf Koç, El Nazır, Saklı (Yuhannis), Meryem Ana, Kılıçlar, Tokalı churches in Göreme; Rahibeler Monastry, Aziz Basil Chapel, Elmalı Churche, Azize Barbara Chapel, Yılanlı (Aziz Onuphrius) Churche, Karanlık Churche, Azize Katerina Chapel, Çarıklı Churche in Göreme Open Air Museum; Pancarlık (St.Theodora) Churche, Hospital Monastry, Haçlı Churche, Meskendir Churche, Üzümlü (Aziz Nichitas)Churche, Belha Churche, Vaftizci Yahya Churche in Ortahisar; Derinkuyu, Kaymaklı, Mazı, Özkonak, Tatlarin, Özlüce (Zile), Acıgöl, Sivasa Gökçetoprak undergound cities; Nevşehir, Uçhisar, Ortahisar castles are located in this area. The World Heritage property Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia is subject to legal protection in accordance with both the Protection of Cultural and Natural Resources Act No. 2863 and the National Parks Act No. 2873. The entire territory between the cities of Nevşehir, Ürgüp and Avanos is designated as a National Park under the Act No. 2873. In addition, natural, archaeological, urban, and mixed archaeological and natural conservation areas, two underground towns, five troglodyte villages, and more than 200 individual rock-hewn churches, some of which contain numerous frescoes, have been entered into the register of immovable monuments and sites according to the Act No. 2863 and they’re under protection.
Keywords
Cappadocia • Fairy Chimneys (Earth Pillars) • Göreme • Ürgüp • Nevşehir • Anthropogenic Caves • Underground Cities and Rock Sites • Anatolia • Mixed World Heritage