Urgup Türkiye – Historic Town – Tourist Center to Cappadocia

Urgup is a town in Central Türkiye that I visited with a Turkish friend I had met the previous year on my first solo visit to Istanbul. Mehmet worked in the tourism industry so he made all the arrangements for a two-day tour of Cappadocia with our base in Urgup.

 

 

Although solo travel is my preference and I enjoy the process of planning my trips I must admit I enjoyed having someone else take care of all the travel arrangements for this weekend getaway from Istanbul.

 

 

We arranged to spend one extra day in Urgup so that we could explore the town at a relaxed pace after the two days of organized tours in Cappadocia – which were amazing! I definitely plan to return to Urgup and the Cappadocia region to spend more time exploring and hiking the area.

 

 

The Dedeli Konak Cave Hotel is in central Urgup so it’s a nice walk to the central plaza. Walking around the nearby streets I saw many beautiful doors with such character. I often enjoy taking photos of doors and other architectural features when I’m traveling.

 

 

 

Urgup is located in the Central Anatolia region of Türkiye and this is wine country. We stopped by Mahzen Sarap Evi – a little wine shop where a joyful woman showed us around the shop.

 

 

The wine merchant had a great sense of humor as you can see in the photo below – Mehmet is about to drink her collector’s vintage wine and she’s pretending to bop him on the head with a bottle of wine.

 

 

I could see Temmeni hilltop from the Dedeli Hotel and we later walked to the top. The tomb of Aslan Gazi is located atop the hill. There is an information sheet by the Cappadocia Buyukakten Cultural Center at the tomb which reads in part:

Although 586 years passed, People of Ürgüp did not forget Aslan Gazi, who became a martyr because of his ideals for the independence of Seljuk Empire against the Mongolians. To the memory of him a tomb was built by the help of Kayseri Mayor Vecihi Pasa in 1852.

The word “Temenni” given to the hill where you are now means “sacred area, sacrificial area or pray land” in the Sumerian, that gives an idea about the age of the place.

 

 

Atop Temmeni hill there is also a beautiful flower garden – we spotted several hummingbird moths collecting nectar from the vibrant blooms.

 

 

After walking around we stopped for lunch and also enjoyed a lovely surprise – foot massage! For only one Turkish lira I enjoyed a fabulous two-minute massage at the sidewalk massage machine – it was cool and I wish they had these magical massage machines in every city.

 

 

Another cute surprise was the little kitten that visited us each morning at the Dedeli Konak Cave Hotel on the terrace. So adorable!

 

 

We enjoyed breakfast on the terrace in the morning at Dedeli Hotel as well as a fabulous lunch buffet on our second day of touring around Cappadocia.

Staying in the town of Urgup I walked the neighborhood in the mornings and viewed a gallery of beautiful doors. When I notice a distinct character I enjoy photographing architectural features of a city or town. For instance when I walked around La Condesa neighborhood in Mexico City I enjoyed seeing the art deco features.

Cappadocia and the Goreme National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are intriguing places to see both for the geological formations and the historical features. Touring the ancient underground cities and staying in a cave hotel are a unique experience.

Countries with a long history such as Türkiye provide a better chance of seeing interesting architectural styles. Curved doorways offer more interesting design appeal compared to the sharp right angles of most modern doors. Perhaps they didn’t worry so much about the budget and cutting costs like builders nowadays.

Related: Gate of Ishtar Images from Istanbul Archaeological Museum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whenever I travel I notice beautiful architectural features like doors, windows. and gargoyles on old buildings. Since I enjoy walking in order to explore new places I often seek out neighborhoods with older buildings so I can photograph the doors or windows.

Staying in Urgup to visit Cappadocia I enjoyed getting out to stroll around the streets by the cave hotel. Visiting in October the weather is cooler but pleasant, fall is a perfect time to visit Urgup and explore the town.

Read these related posts about traveling to Türkiye

Solo trip to Istanbul Türkiye – Land of Both Ancient and Modern

Visiting the Blue Mosque in Istanbul Türkiye

 

I have fond memories of visiting Urgup and I look forward to returning again to explore the area and hike around Cappadocia.

What travel destination would you love to return to again?