Avanos: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 30 - 100 Sofa Hotel
 Sofa Hotel is a boutique cave house in Avanos, Cappadocia. Each room is unique and traditionally furnished. There is free Wi-Fi and parking.
There is… MoreEUR 35 - 60 Kirkit Pension
 Located in Avanos, this cave hotel is less than 15 km from the Özkonak Underground City. It offers rooms with free Wi-Fi, and has a restaurant that s… MoreEUR 28 - 60 Duru Hotel
 Situated in Cappadocia, the Duru Hotel is less than 200 metres from the Red River. It offers rooms with balconies, and has an outdoor terrace with vie… MoreEUR 45 - 200 Doubletree By Hilton Avanos Cappadocia
 The Doubletree Avanos Capaddocia offers indoor and outdoor pools as well as various spa facilities in the city centre of Avanos. Nevşehir Airport is … More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Avanos: Guide
Avanos is a district of Nevşehir Province of Turkey. It is situated at the heart of the historic and touristic region of Cappadocia. With its rich architectural heritage, Avanos is a member of the Norwich-based European Association of Historic Towns and Regions (EAHTR) . The old city of Avanos overlooks the longest river of Turkey, the Kızılırmak (Red River), which also separates it from the rest of Cappadocia. Located 18 km north of Nevsehir, the ancient name of this city used to be Venessa. The most famous historical feature of Avanos, which is still relevant and very visible today, is its production of earthenware pottery. The ceramic trade in this district and its countless pottery factories date right back to the Hittites, and the ceramic clay from the red silt of the Kızılırmak has always been used. It is a popular destination because of its attractive old town with cobbled streets, and superb views over the river.
Climate
Summers are hot and dry, while winters are cold and wet.
Where to Visit
Zelve
About 5 km from Avanos and 1 km from Pasabaglari, Zelve was founded on the steep northern slopes of Aktepe. Consisting of three separate valleys, the ruins of Zelve is the area with the most 'fairy chimneys' - a famous sight special to Cappadocia - which here have sharp points and thick trunks. It is not known exactly when people began living in the dwellings carved into the rock, found in places like Uchisar, Goreme, Cavusin and Zelve. What is known is that Zelve was an important Christian community and religious centre in the 9th and 13th centuries, and the first religious seminars for priests were held in the vicinity.
Çavuşin (Nicephorus Phocas) Church
It is beside the Göreme-Avanos road 2.5 km out of Göreme. The narthex of this church has fallen down. It has tunnel vaults, a high nave and 3 apses. It dates back to 964-965 AD.
Güllüdere (St. Agathangelus) Church
It is located in the far left draw of the Güllüdere valley about 2 km from the village of Çavuşin. It was founded at the mouth of the draw on top of a steep slope.
The design of the nave is square with a flat ceiling and it has a single broad apse. The apse was added in the 9th or 10th century to the main structure dating back to the 6th - 7th century. There are 2 or 3 layers of frescoes in the apse which indicates that it was painted regularly. Symbols of Gospel authors are drawn symmetrically and are sitting on the right and left of an enthroned Jesus.
In the middle of the flat ceiling is the relief of a cross in the middle of a circle surrounded with palm leaves and garlands. This sort of relief most likely belongs to the Iconoclastic period. The people of the area had a great love for the cross and it continued to be used as a motif after the Iconoclastic era because it symbolized the "Holy Cross" in Jerusalem.
Özkonak Underground City
Located 14 km northeast of Avanos, this underground city was built on the northern slopes of Mt. Idis in an area with lots of strata made up of volcanic granite. The extensive galleries of the city are spread out over a large area and connected to each another by tunnels. Unlike the underground cities in Kaymakli and Derinkuyu, there are very narrow (5 cm) and long holes between the different levels of the city that used to provide communication between the different levels of the city. The ventilation of these neatly carved out rooms was provided by these holes when the city was sealed up against enemies.
The city was discovered in 1972 by the local muezzin and farmer Latif Acar, when trying to find out where the water disappeared to when tending to his crops. He first found an underground room which, when later excavated, revealed a whole city which housed an incredible 60,000 people for up to three months. A total of 10 floors were discovered, to a depth 40m, although now only four are open.
Unlike the other underground cities in this area, besides the rolling stone doors, there were holes above the tunnels used for dumping hot oil on the enemy. Similar to Kaymakli and Derinkuyu, Ozkonak has a ventilation system, a water well, a winery and rolling stone doors.
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