GOREME
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One of
the oldest settlements of the region is Goreme. Especially during the
expansion period of Islam, this small town was occupied by the Christians
who were under attack by the Arabic Muslim conquerers. Some of the earliest
churches in this area date back to the 7th century A.D. St.Basil, from
Kayseri, established the first monastry in Goreme to educate missionaries.
Goreme was an important settlement
even before the Christian era. The people of the town were living in these
carved rock houses. Some of these houses were converted into the churches
later. |
Some of the rock structures were used
as burial ground. You can see one of them when you are entering the town, in
the form of a rock pinnacle which contains a mortuary chapel with a small
facade.
The El Nazar valley which is 3km. to
the east of Goreme, where the fairy chimneys house some early era Christian
churches. The Church of Kiliclar and the Church of Madonna are two of the
most important ones.
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