Blog Cappadociya

Cappadocia is a land famous for its distinctive rock formation, historical heritage, and scenic hot air balloon trips. Sitting in Central Anatolia, this historical region attracts crowds of tourists from all over the world. The area is such a popular destination that in 2019, it drew a total of 3.8 million foreign tourists.

So, if you are planning to be one of the millions of visitors that will tour this magical land this year, here are ten interesting facts you might want to know about the place.

Wild Horses Cappadocia Name
1. The Made-up Name Comes in from the Cold
Whereas Cappadocia is famous today for its otherworldly topography and a strong connection to the past, the region was known for something else altogether in ancient times; horses. Even the name itself, Cappadocia, is derived from the Persian word “Katpatuka”, meaning the land of beautiful horses. Ancient sources mention gifts or tributes of horses from the region presented to ancient Assyrian and Persian kings.

When Cappadocia was under Persian governance, horses were part of the taxes paid. The locals today still value horses, which sometimes offer visitors an alternative mode of transport.

9. Music concerts are often held in the surrounding cave buildings of Cappadocia, including the week-long Cappadocia Music Festival which showcases choirs and orchestras.

10. The region of Cappadocia is a large grape producer and it’s believed that wine-making has a long history here. There are a number of wine-tasting shops where visitors can sample the goods and in recent years wines from the region have won international awards.

Discover Cappadocia for yourself on one of our Turkey tours or let us know if you have any more interesting facts in the comments section below.

5. There are a number of underground cities in Cappadocia, some connected by a network of tunnels. These subterranean settlements were made possible thanks to the pliability of the soft rock. Many are open to visitors, however, a lot of the land in the area is private property.

6. There are as many as 600 churches carved from the soft Cappadocian rock and possibly many more that have not yet been discovered. These churches date back to Medieval times and display beautifully painted frescoes, which have retained an amazing amount of colour and detail over the centuries. Some painted figures have had their eyes scratched out by superstitious locals afraid of the Evil Eye.

7. The village of Göreme serves as the region’s main tourist centre and is also one of the few Cappadocian settlements still inhabited today. Christians gave the town of Göreme its name meaning ‘you cannot see here’, as they hid in the area during the Arab invasion.

8. The Göreme Open-Air Museum encompasses the best-known religious complexes in the area. Alongside the other rock sites of Cappadocia, it was enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.