Mystical Cave Hotels of Cappadocia

Civil Architecture of Cappadocia

Cappadocia is an important region for our country with its nature and history. The history of the region dates back to the Paleolithic period. While nature formed fairy chimneys with the erosion of lava by winds, the inhabitants of the region made fairy chimneys their settlements. Considering the stone structure of the region, people carved these stones into caves and turned these caves into their homes and places of worship.

The first state to live in the region was the Hittites. That is why many traces of the Hittites can be found in Cappadocia. Later, the Romans, Seljuks and Ottomans ruled the region.

No matter which state settled in Cappadocia, nature set all the rules in terms of daily life due to the geographical conditions of the region. People created houses and underground shelters by carving tuffs that were easy to work. Over time, floors were added to these rock-carved cave houses and the people of Cappadocia slowly began to embrace today's city life.

There are major touristic centers in the region such as Avanos, Ürgüp, Göreme, Uçhisar, Zelve, Güvercinlik Valley, Özkonak Underground Cities.

Cave Hotels

The mystical cave hotels of Cappadocia are quite popular. Recently becoming a rising trend on social media, cave hotels are preferred for many celebrations such as birthdays, engagements, honeymoons, and marriage proposals. In addition to all these, these hotels, which are also very suitable for a weekend getaway just to feel the spirit of the region, present you with a more luxurious life in caves, which have been a settlement form in Cappadocia for thousands of years. The historical information of cave hotels made by carving stones also varies. Some come across you with a history of a hundred years, some with a history of fifty. The windows of the rooms you will choose according to your budget open to various natural views. The hotels have a Turkish bath, sauna, massage, and indoor pool. If you go in the summer months, most of the hotels also have an outdoor pool. One of the interesting aspects of these hotels, which also have a wide range of social activities such as entertainment nights specific to Cappadocia, balloon rides, restaurants and bars, is being able to watch the colorful balloons filling the sky on the terrace in the early morning hours. You can spend all your time at the hotel without getting bored. If you do not have a personal vehicle or did not come with a tour, you can benefit from the taxis in the vicinity at a more affordable price than the normal tariff since they have agreements with the hotels. Cave hotels also make you feel the spirit of the region through the design of the rooms.

The Only Thing Left Is Imagination

The best part of staying in cave hotels is being inside rocks that have undergone millions of years of formation. When you touch the wall while walking in narrow and dark corridors, you will also touch the formation process of the world. These hotels will make you experience what it would be like to live in a hole you carved with your hands. If you were a monk in the Roman period, you would be praying in those rock holes day and night. Or if you were a villager in the Seljuk period, you would be sleeping in your cave at night. Although all of this may seem to be up to your imagination, the biggest advantage of cave hotels is that they present you with the life of a human community that has been around for thousands of years. It feels like staying in a historical castle. And as an added bonus, there are no ghosts.

Written by: Selin Hızarcı