Kappadocia: Sinassos

                                                Urgup (Prokopi, Ayios Prokopis)

•famous for its hotels built right within caves, for its wines. Many of the hotels are old houses. Some caves converted to bars.

• The most important tourism center of Cappadocia

•Mustafakemalpasa (Sinassos, famous for its beautiful homes)

• Tavlosun (Tavlosounion)

• Talas Panaya Kilisesi (Moutalaski, home of the Onassis family, church of Ayios Savvas)
.  Zinzidere (Flaviani)
,  Endruluk (Andronikion, church of Ayios Andronikos)
.  Resadiye (Stefana, church of Theotokos, sacred monastery of Timios Prodromos, was a orthodox school)
. Erkilet (Archelais)

                Kayseri ( Cesareia)

•On Zamanti river (Karmalas), Agirnas (Ayioi Anargyroi, Sinan the architect’s village), Talas (home of the former American college), Germir (Kermira, home of Elia Kazan, church of Ayioi Theodoroi, church of Theomitoros),

•3,000 years old, on the Great Silk road, on the Persian Royal Road, name changed from Eusebia (163-130 BC) to Caesarea by the last Cappadocian King Archelaus, or Tiberius.

•City destroyed by Persians in AD 260 when it had 400,000 people. Bishop Basil established an ecclesiastical centre about 2 km to the NE, became the new town. A portion was surrounded by strong walls and turned into a fortress by Justinian.

•3 golden ages : 2,000 BC Assyrians – Hittites, during the Roman rule, 200 – 300 AD, Seljuks (1178-1243)

•the 1500-year old castle from the Byzantines still stands, also an Armenian church

•Gregory the Illuminator: founder of the Armenian church

                              Nigdi

•Old Nakita, Neolithic period (8000- 5500 BC), tin mines in Camardi-Keste area, Hittites, Assyrians, large number of churches, & underground cities

•The museum has the mummified remains of a blonde Byzantine nun of the 900s discovered in the Ihlara valley

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•Eskigumus Monastery:  Contains the only fresco with a smiling Theotokos ( also Gumusler). Best frescoes in the Kappadokia area.

•Has escaped vandalism, recently discovered. The furthest south of Cappadocian monasteries. It is located close to the route used by invading Arabs in the 7th cent. who traversed the Tarsus river through the rugged Gulek Pass (Cilician Gates)

•The entrance was designed to shield it from passing invaders. This camouflage was so successful that the monastery remained unknown until 1963. High walls surround the large inner courtyard with monastic rooms and storage areas. The main church is large in extremely good condition with the many well-preserved frescoes are among the greatest examples of Byzantine art in the region.

•Soganli (SoandoV) : many chimneys, monasteries and churches

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•Bor : Tyanna (Roman) Home of Apollonius of Tyanna 1st cent. Philosopher, charismatic teacher & miracle worker

•The most southern town in Byzantine Cappadokia ; The most important Christian community in eastern Anatolia. Its former Turkish name, Kilisehisar = city of churches

•Poor soil, too dry for crops, just apricot & apple

•The remains of Tyana scattered over 3 hills, roman baths, limestone aqueduct, pillars, one still standing, a hot spring (15’C) still bubbling

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•Ulukisla : the therapeutic mineral baths of Ciftehan claim among their patrons Cleopatra when she was living in Tarsus. The Byzantines had armies based here

•Eregli-Konya (Hrakleia Kubistra) captured by Arabs in 806 & 832, Seljuk Turks, Mongols, Ottoman Empire in 1466

•First Hittite monument-rock relief - of a lynx found south of here

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•Kadirli :  prob. ancient Flaviopolis. Hittite remains, 5th- 6th  large basilical church with a crypt , converted into Armenian. Nearby Kozan also claims to be Flavia