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During the Roman Emperor, Augustus period, territories of
Cappadocian Region as a wide region lying till to the Toros
Mountains at south, Aksaray at west, Malatya at east and Eastern
Black Sea shores at north within the 17 volume book named 'Geographika'
of Strabon, one of the Antic Period writers. Today's Cappadocian
Region is the area covered by Nevşehir, Aksaray, Niğde, Kayseri,
and Kırşehir cities. More limited area, rocky Cappadocian Region
is composed of Üçhisar, Göreme, Avanos, Ürgüp, Derinkuyu,
Kaymaklı, Ihlara and environment. Traditional Cappadocian
houses and dovecotes carved into stones are showing the
uniqueness of the region. These houses are constructed on the
feet of the mountain via rocks or cut stones. Rock, which is the
only construction material of the region, as it is very soft
after quarry due to the structure of the region, can be easily
processed but after contact with air it hardens and turns into a
very strong construction material. Due to being plentiful and
easy to process of the used material, regional unique masonry is
developed and turned into an architectural tradition. Materials
of neither courtyard nor house doors is wood. Upper parts of the
doors built with arches are decorated with stylized ivy or
rosette motifs.
Dovecotes within the region are small structures constructed
within 18th century and end of 19th century. Some of the
dovecotes, which are important for showing Islamic picture art
are constructed as monastery or church. Surfaces of dovecotes
are decorated with rich inscriptions and adornments by regional
artists. |
