Göreme Historical National Park is located in Cappadocia, central Turkey. It is in Nevşehir Province and covers an area of nearly 100 square kilometers (39 square miles). The park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 as Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia. The park has a rocky landscape shaped by water and wind erosion. It also has a network of ancient, connected underground settlements.

Description

The National Park is located in the volcanic area of Mount Hasan and Mount Erciyes in Central Anatolia, near the towns of Ürgüp, Çavuşin, and Göreme. The park includes plateaus and high hills, which are cut through by streams and river valleys shaped by water. These valleys have steep sides. Some parts of this rough area are made of basalt and thick layers of tuff. Tuff is a type of soft rock formed from volcanic ash that hardened millions of years ago. Over time, this tuff was covered by solidified lava, which acted as a protective layer. This layer has been worn away over many years, creating colorful cliffs, rock towers, pillars, tent-shaped rocks, and fairy chimneys found in the park. Love Valley is famous for its fairy chimneys. This area receives about 380 mm (15 inches) of rain each year, and plants grow mostly near rivers.

The first signs of religious communities living in Cappadocia date back to the 4th century. Small groups of monks, following the teachings of Basileios the Great, Bishop of Caesarea (now Kayseri), began to live in rock-hewn cells. Later, these groups moved into underground villages to stay safe from attacks by groups of Arab invaders.

Underground dwellings

People used soft tuff rock to create underground homes. The earliest monastic activity in Cappadocia began in the fourth century, when anchorites carved cells into the rock. To protect themselves from Arab attackers, they connected these cells to form underground neighborhoods with chapels, storage areas, and living spaces. Villages and small towns were built this way, and by 842, underground churches were beautifully decorated with colorful paintings.

Today, people do not live as deeply underground as they did in the past, when they were hiding from enemies. However, some still live in cave homes with a door or opening that allows daylight to enter from the ground. Unfortunately, it has been discovered that people who live in caves for a long time have a higher chance of developing mesothelioma, a type of cancer. This is linked to breathing in erionite fibers, a mineral commonly found in tuff formations.