Nevşehir

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.

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.

Turkey's picturesque Cappadocia region drew nearly two million tourists in the first 10 months of 2021, according to official figures.

A total of 1.91 million domestic and international visitors came to explore the charming touristic hub in the central Nevşehir province, famed for its distinctive fairy chimneys, underground cities, cave hotels and hot air balloon rides.

Göreme, a well-known tourist destination in central Turkey famous for its surreal landscape with intricate rock formations, has been ranked among the world's most beautiful towns in a list prepared by assessing their popularity across social media.

A 175-year-old mansion, which has been restored and converted into a museum in the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir's Ürgüp district, displays 3,200 folkloric dolls reflecting the cultures of 80 countries.

The first excavations have been initiated in the ancient city of Mokissos, also known as "Nora," which could become the "Ephesus of the Cappadocia region," with its history dating back to the Hellenistic period.

Prominent Turkish basketball player Cedi Osman, who plays for Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA, has proposed marriage to his year-long girlfriend, Ebru Şahin, at Cappadocia, the ancient region in Central Anatolia, famous for its fairy chimneys.

"I said yes," wrote the actress on her social media account, uploading a photo of them backdropped by the hot air balloons rising in the air.

A three-day international hot air balloon festival kicked off in Turkey's picturesque Cappadocia region on Aug. 28.

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