Goreme Open Air Museum

Cappadocia is best known for its 100+ square miles of "fairy chimneys," those unusual geological formations that, over the past two millennia or more, have been hollowed out to become churches, monasteries, residences, villages, even underground cities; and now, major big-time tourist attractions. Over the ages they served as refuges for Christians hiding from Romans, from Persians, from Muslims, et al. They are scattered all over the landscape, but there are 8 or 10 concentrations, the most famous of which is probably Goreme, and its Goreme Open Air Museum.

Another World Heritage Site

It is difficult to convey the scale of Goreme--it is several acres but few distinct 
"buildings"; this photo show a small bit of the complex

Goreme was primarily a collection of abbeys and nunneries 
and such; no residences, at least in the village sense; here's 
Vicki sitting at a stone refectory table that could seat 40

Some of the chapels were done in very primitive ways; iconoclasm

Of all Goreme's assorted chapels and churches, our favorite was the Dark Church 
(no relation to the Dark Lord, although it did have an addtional 8YTL entrance 
fee); here the 10th and 11th century painting is impressive, even defaced by the 
conquering Muslims (typically, they only scraped away the eyes; later hordes of 
mostly Greek tourists, at other sites, would deface them completely with their 
names and signatures) 

More Dark Church

More ditto, with digital issues

Old guys rule

Ceiling view

One last scene

The Nunnery; now condemned, no entry

Obligatory St. George/snake (sort of a dragon) in another chapel

In the Tokali Church, also 10th-11th, a shade of blue most unusual for the time and 
place

The Goreme museum is adjoined by the usual bazaar of tourist shops, the most 
interesting of which was the wine store; Cappadocian wines are respectable, if 
not yet great; I am enjoying a pleasant red wine, lighter-bodied, fruity; the whites 
I tasted varied but some, especially the Uchisar, were very good indeed; what? 
your local wine store does not carry Turkish wines?!