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The small town of GOREME is of central importance to Cappadocian tourism, principally because it is the best-known of the few remaining Cappadocian villages whose rock-cut houses and "fairy chimneys" are still inhabited. However, in the last few years these ancient living quarters have slowly been destroyed by development and tourism, which has led to a "Save Goreme" campaign to try to get the government to act in order to preserve the unique geology that has provided homes to the indigenous population for hundreds of years. It is still possible to get away from what is now essentially a holiday village, though, and the tufa landscapes are just a short stroll away. Goreme also makes a good base from which to explore the nearby attractions and sites. When approaching Goreme from elsewhere in Turkey, bear in mind that only two bus companies - Goreme and Nevtour - actually travel here direct. Other firms may sell you a ticket to Goreme, but will actually drop you off in Nevsehir, from where you'll have to continue your journey by local bus or dolmus (the last of which leaves Nevsehir at about 6pm). There are two churches in the hills above, the Durmus Kadir Kilisesi , clearly visible across the vineyard next to a cave-house with rock-cut steps, and the double-domed Karsibucak Yusuf Koc Kilisesi , which houses frescoes in very good condition. About 2km outside the village, the Goreme Open-Air Museum (daily 8am-6pm; winter closes 5pm; $5), up a steep hill on the road to Urgup, is the best known and most visited of all the monastic settlements in the Cappadocia region, the site of over thirty churches, mainly dating from the ninth to the end of the eleventh century and containing some of the best of all the frescoes in Cappadocia. Most are barely discernible from the outside, apart from a few small holes serving as windows or air shafts. But inside, the churches re-create many of the features of Byzantine buildings, with domes, barrel-vaulted ceilings and cruciform plans supported by mock pillars, capitals and pendentives. The best-preserved church is the Tokali Kilise (Church with the Buckle), located away from the others on the opposite side of the road about 50m back towards the village. It's two churches, in fact, both frescoed, an Old Church , dating from the 920s, and a New Church , whose frescoes represent some of the finest examples of tenth-century Byzantine art. The best known of the churches in the main complex are the three columned churches, the Elmali Kilise (Church of the Apple), the Karanlik Kilise (Dark Church; $10 extra) whose frescoes have recently been restored, and the Carikli Kilise (Church of the Sandals) - eleventh-century churches heavily influenced by Byzantine forms and painted with superb skill. Look, too, at the church of St Barbara , named after the depiction of the saint on the north wall, although most famous for the strange insect figure, the significance of which can only be guessed at.
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