Cappadocia

Some 477,757 people have visited Cappadocia, the historical region in Central Anatolia famous for its fairy chimneys, in May this year, a number nearly eight times higher than the same month the previous year, the Governor's Office of the province of Nevşehir has announced.

"In May 2021, the number of the visitors was 61,634," said the office in a statement on June 7.

"GAP Tour," which comprises seven cities in Turkey's southeast, will now be called "Mesopotamian Tour" to promote tourism, a marketing strategy inspired by the "Cappadocia Tour" in the Central Anatolian region, a top local tourism chief has said.

The Central Anatolian province of Çankırı will open its fairy chimneys that look similar to the ones in the world-renowned Cappadocia region to tourism.

The 150 fairy chimneys are located in the Orta district, some 80 kilometers from Çankırı and some 120 kilometers from the capital Ankara.

Nearly 300 wells with a history of hundreds of years in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri have been filled with snow brought from the skirts of Mountain Erciyes in order to provide residents cold water in summer.

The latest evidence shows that the historical Huykesen Church in the Central Anatolian province of Sivas is one of the oldest places of worship in Anatolia.

Two settlements in Turkey have been included in the U.N.'s Best Tourism Villages list, the U.N. World Tourism Organizations (UNWTO) have said.

Mustafapaşa, a town in the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir, and Taraklı, a small district in the northwestern province of Sakarya, are among the "best examples of villages embracing tourism to provide opportunity," the U.N. body said.

With the booming popularity of the Eastern Express that runs from the capital Ankara to the eastern province of Kars, authorities are encouraged to put new trains into service to meet the soaring demand of people trying to get to know the Anatolian hinterland.

Scores of people, especially students, are flocking to Turkey's major holiday destinations, such as Antalya, Cappadocia and Lake Abant, with the start of a short school break, giving a boost to local tourism activity.

Schools will remain closed from Nov. 15 to Nov. 19, but holidaymakers merged the weekends to prolong their stay at tourism destinations.

Tourists visiting the Cappadocia region have a different experience in the Kaymaklı Underground City, which is 20 kilometers from the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir, and go on a journey through time in tunnels of thousands of years.

The rock-carved churches, monasteries and chapels at the Göreme Open Air Museum, visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors every year in Turkey's Cappadocia region, attract tourists with their historical texture and frescoes that challenge centuries.