Goreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia. Goreme. Cappadocia Region. Nevsehir province. Turkey. Mikel Bilbao / VWPics/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: dbcstock231223
The UNESCO has designated more then 1000 heritage sites to preserve sites with cultural and natural importance. Of all those sites only 32 have been listed for both nature and culture. One such site is Goreme, Turkey where human hands and nature combined to make one of the most unique and spectacular places on earth.
Nature had the first roll in shaping the landscape when eruptions from three volcanoes covered the the area in ash and mud thirty million years ago. As wind and water tore away at the soft rock, Goreme’s incredible rock structures were uncovered. So by the time humans arrived, the landscape was amazing like so many other areas of the planet.
In the 3rd millennium BCE, people were already calling Goreme home. It’s location in central Turkey became a problem as it was on the boundary of rival empires — multiple times throughout it’s history. The back and forth battles forced thousands of people to take cover underground. The soft rock that lead to the great landscapes also allowed people to carve out elaborate caves, some of which go as deep and eight stories. In addition to the cave system people carved homes into the rock.
The amazing mix of human and nature make Goreme a must see, and you can see it in these great photos of Goreme below. To see more photos of Goreme including inside of the caves and cave churches be sure to check out Newscom.
Fairy chimneys, tufa formations, Valley of the Monks, Pasabagi, Goreme National Park, Cappadocia, Central Anatolia Region, Anatolia, Turkey. Martin Siepmann imageBROKER/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: ibphotos218041
Landscape at Goreme, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Goreme, Cappadocia, Anatolia, Turkey, Asia Minor, Eurasia. Christian Kober/robertharding/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: rhphotos242486
Castle Rock, Uchisar, Goreme National Park, Cappadocia, Central Anatolia Region, Anatolia, Turkey. Martin Siepmann imageBROKER/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: ibphotos221488
A view in the Goreme National Park of Cappadocia in Nevsehir, Turkey. Lu Zhe Xinhua News Agency/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: xnaphotos458756
A Japanese tourist posing for a photograph on board a hot air balloon flying over the UNESCO World Heritage Rock Cave site of Cappadocia, region stretching across the south-eastern part of central Anatolia with formations of volcanic tuffs and sandstones carved by erosion, in Turkey 22 June 2012. RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: epaphotos471501
Cave hotel built into white tufa rock of hillside. Eye Ubiquitous/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: euphotos028986
View of Hot air Balloon over Goreme. JTB Photo Universal Images Group/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: uigphotos177486