Göreme National Park is one of those astonishing places in Turkey that have earned a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It was added to this prestigious list in 1985 as Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia. It is also one of the few such places in the world that have been included on the UNESCO list for both its cultural and natural heritage. The second such place in Turkey is the Pamukkale-Hierapolis complex.

A visit to Cappadocia cannot be considered complete without visiting Göreme Open Air Museum (tr. Göreme Açık Hava Müzesi), a one-of-a-kind museum with the most spectacular rock-cut Mediaeval churches. In a relatively small area, there are about 350 churches and chapels from the Byzantine era, carved in the soft rock characteristic of Cappadocia. Of this huge number, a dozen or so are located in the open-air museum, called the Göreme Open Air Museum.

In the 4th century CE, the first small communities of anchorites emerged in Cappadocia. They were ascetics, leading a life dedicated to prayer, mortification, and contemplation. They lived in rooms that they themselves carved out of the Cappadocian rocks. These communities based their functioning on the guidelines created by Basil the Great, also known as Basil of Caesarea in Cappadocia.

This early Christian writer, born in 329, is considered one of the fathers of the Church. He was a bishop who devoted particular attention to charitable activities: he built a shelter for pilgrims, and in times of famine he sold church property to feed the poorest. At the same time, he was a famous theologian, combating Arianism, and the creator of one of the first monastic rules. In the following century, Cappadocia became renowned as the hometown not only of Basil of Caesarea, but also two other prominent clergymen - his brother Gregory of Nyssa and his friend Gregory of Nazianzus. These three men are now collectively referred to as the Cappadocian Fathers.

Sightseeing

Rahibeler Manastiri/Kızlar Manastırı (Maidens' Monastery)

Many floors were carved into the rocky cliff, containing the nuns' cells and the monastery's common rooms: the refectory and kitchen. The floors were connected by tunnels, which could be cut off using millstones if necessary - similar solutions were used in Cappadocian underground cities.

Although the monastery originally had several floors, today only a large dining room with stairs leading up to a small chapel with several frescoes can be visited.

Aziz Basil Şapeli (St. Basil's Chapel)

This is a rather dark place, with the main room located to the left of the entrance. The holes in the floor covered with grates are tombs. The wall decorations date back to the iconoclasm era, when the depictions of saints were forbidden. The frescoes, including those of Saint Basil, are from later times.

Elmalı Kilise (Apple Church)

This is a small church, built around 1050 CE. Four pillars with the Greek cross symbol support the central dome. The church was renovated in 1991, but fragments of the frescoes are still peeling off, revealing earlier wall paintings.

The frescoes depict the scenes from the lives of saints, bishops, and martyrs, and to the right of the altar there is a depiction of the Last Supper. The name of the church has been explained in two ways: according to one, it comes from the red object held in the left hand of the Archangel Michael, and according to the other, from the apple tree that is said to have grown near the church.

Tokalı Kilise (Church of the Buckle)

This is the largest of the churches in Göreme. Its renovation was completed in the 1980s. The most important part of the church is the nave, containing frescoes from the 9th century in the "provincial" style and the newer ones from the 11th century in the "metropolitan" style. They depict the twelve apostles, many saints, and the scenes from the life of Jesus. There is a crypt under the nave.

The church consists of four chambers, namely the Old Church, the New Church, the Paraclete, and the Lower Church. The Old Church from the 10th century CE is the original structure, to which other rooms were added over the centuries. It is decorated in red and green colours, and the frescoes depict the scenes from the New Testament and the portraits of saints.

The New Church, hollowed out to the east of the Old Church and decorated with a series of arches and arcades, has richer colours, including indigo, created with pigments from lapis lazuli stone. The value of the lapis lazuli alone is estimated to be around 31.5 pounds (ca. 14 kg) of gold. Scholars have speculated as to the identity of the donors, with many suggesting the Phokades, a prominent Cappadocian family.

In this part, the images include, among other things, the miracles of Jesus, the first deacons, the life of Saint Basil, the portraits of Leades (one of the martyrs), and Saint Menas. The Paracclesion, to the left of the New Church, is a chapel with a single apse. The Lower Church has three aisles and contains a burial chamber.

Azize Barbara Kilisesi (Church of Saint Barbara)

Saint Barbara is an Egyptian martyr who was imprisoned by her own father, who in that drastic way wanted to protect her from the pernicious influences of Christianity. Because despite her isolation she managed to cultivate her new faith, her cruel father first tortured her and then killed her.

The church dedicated to her was built at the end of the 11th century CE. It has a plan identical to Çarikli Kilise described below. Christ is seen on the throne on the dome. Another fresco depicts a crayfish, which is symbolically interpreted as the personification of evil.

The northern wall of the church contains portraits of Saint George and Saint Theodore on a horse, fighting against a dragon and a snake. An interesting feature is the lines drawn in red on the rock, which were to give the impression that the building was erected of stones, not carved into the rock.

Yılanlı Kilise (Snake Church)

This is a simple church with a low ceiling and a long nave. Its name comes from one of the frescoes depicting Saints George and Theodore slaying a dragon in the form of a snake. The church also has a fresco with a portrait of Emperor Constantine and his mother, Saint Helena, holding the "true cross". Legend has it that she discovered the cross on which Jesus was crucified after seeing him in a dream. It is also said that a fragment of the cross is hidden in the foundations of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

Another fascinating portrait is that of Saint Onuphrius, who lived a hermit's life in the Egyptian desert. He is usually depicted with a long gray beard and dressed only in a fig leaf.

Çarıklı Kilise (Church with Sandals)

The name of the church comes from two footprints under a fresco depicting the resurrection at the church's entrance. The church itself was carved in a cross shape and decorated in the 11th century with frescoes. They depict the Four Evangelists, the Nativity, the Crucifixion, the Baptism, the Visitation of the Magi from the East and other scenes from the New Testament.

Katharina Kilisesi (St. Catherine's Church)

The characteristic element that distinguishes this church from the others are the blind arcades on the outside. The interior, created in a cross shape, is decorated on the eastern side with frescoes depicting the Deesis - an iconographic representation of Christ Pantocrator in the centre, and on his sides - Mary and John the Baptist.

Saklı Kilise (Hidden Church)

Open to the public in 1957, the church contains 11th-century frescoes depicting scenes from the New Testament, including the Annunciation and the Crucifixion.

Karanlık Kilise (Dark Church)

The Dark Church is considered to be the most significant structure of the Göreme Open Air Museum. In the valleys of Cappadocia, where religious tourism is prevalent, there are over 600 carved churches constructed into soft lava rocks. The Dark Church stands out among them due to the vividness of its frescoes. The church was constructed in the late 11th and early 12th centuries. The church is known as the Dark Church due to the limited amount of light that enters through a small window in the narthex.

The cross-planned church comprises cross arms, cross vaults, a central dome, four columns, and three apses. The curved staircase in the north leads to the rectangular barrel-vaulted narthex of the church. To the south of the narthex there is a tomb.

The church and the narthex are richly decorated with stories from the Bible. The scenes depicted are as follows: Deesis, Annunciation, Journey to Bethlehem, Birth, Worship of the Three Magi, Baptism, Resurrection of Lazarus, Transfiguration, Entrance to Jerusalem, Last Supper, Betrayal, Christ on the Cross, Christ's Descent into Hell, Women at the Empty Tomb, the Presentation and Commissioning of the Apostles, the Ascension of Jesus Christ, the Hospitality of Prophet Abraham, and the Burning of the Three Jewish Youths.

Until the 1950s, the church was used as a dovecote. It took 14 years to restore the church to its original appearance, and the majority of this time was spent mainly on scraping pigeon droppings off the walls. Today, its frescoes are among the best preserved in all of Cappadocia. Unfortunately, part of the narthex collapsed, exposing the interior of the church to sunlight and damaging some of the frescoes. Originally, the church received very little sunlight, which is likely what has preserved the vivid colours of the frescoes for a thousand years.