The most famous sight in Turkey's Cappadocia region—and rightly so—is the Göreme Open-Air Museum in the Göreme Valley only a 15-minute walk (1.5 km, 1 mile) from Göreme Town and a short ride (6.5 km, 4 miles) from Ürgüp. The Göreme Valley holds the region's best collection of painted cave-churches. Medieval orthodox Christian monks (1000-1200 AD) carved the caves from the soft volcanic stone and decorated them with elaborate Byzantine frescoes.

The valley, and other troglodyte ("cave-dweller") habitations in Cappadocia, may have been inhabited since Hittite times, but Göreme is known for its thousand-year-old churches. It's best to visit as early in the morning as possible because the summer heat is intense at midday. Also, tour groups fill the small churches by mid-morning and it's more difficult to enjoy them.

For one thing, groups may block the entrance, which cuts off the natural light, which is the only sort of light in the churches (unless you bring a flashlight/electric torch). Most of the frescoes in the churches have been damaged—many of them badly damaged—by wind, water, weather, earthquake, and shepherd boys who sought refuge in the caves and used the faces of the figures as targets for pebble attacks, having been taught that images were sinful. But the beauty of the churches and their decoration is still apparent.

Full story: turkeytravelplanner.com