Kayakapı

The Kayakapi neighbourhood of Ürgüp, Turkey is a historical area located on the northeastern slope of a hill known as Esbelli. It features many examples of vernacular and monumental architecture, including the House of Saint John the Russian (Yuhannes). Abandoned after the 1980s, the semi-ruins and natural landscape of Kayakapi are now being developed for tourism.

Natural Environment

The geographical context within which Kayakapi Neighbourhood is located is characterized by a semi-mountainous landscape and volcanic tuff, pumice and basalt rocks. The fairy chimneys uniquely found in this region of Anatolia and the tradition of rock-carved houses are a result of the nature of this special kind of soft tuff stone.

The most prominent river in the province is Kızılırmak (Halys), with secondary rivers flowing down from Hodul Mountain (1.949m) and joining it; among these, Damsa river is also the site of the region's only lake and the valley on which Ürgüp is situated.

A severe inland climate dominates the area, with seasonal and day-to-night temperature differences exceeding 20 °C. However, these differences are only about 3 – 4 °C in caves and underground cities, creating natural storage spaces for wine and lemons. The natural vegetation of Ürgüp and environs consists of steppe plants, as well as orchards and vineyards; some wet and dry agricultural lands are also found around Ürgüp. Few forest areas are observed, except remains of older oak trees in the mountains.

Archaeological Heritage

The historical development of Ürgüp and the region can be traced back to 1800–1200 BC, to the Hittite period, and continues from the Phrygian, Persian, Roman and Byzantine periods onto the Seljukid and Ottoman Empires. The ‘land of beautiful horses’, as it was called by the Persians, is renowned for the rock-carved shelters that were made by the early Christians fleeing the wave of iconoclasm which spread in the Byzantine Empire, and later by those who escaped the Arab attacks during the 8th – 9th centuries AD. The region is believed to be used as a missionary center, starting from the 1st – 2nd centuries AD, when the first Christian communities appeared, leading the construction of many churches and monasteries in Ürgüp – Göreme, which is now a Historical National Park, and in neighbouring areas. Nevşehir, Ihlara and Soğanlı are the three valleys where this kind of life was prevalent. Among the nearly 200 underground cities in Cappadocia, 45 of them are in Nevşehir Province.

An important find dating from the late Roman – early Byzantine period is a very large floor mosaic and building complex, the first of its kind in the region, which was uncovered by the Nevşehir Museum officials, in Şahin Efendi (Söviş) village, near Soğanlı Valley, in early 2002.

From later periods, Rükneddin Kılıç Aslan and Altıkapılı Mausoleums (Türbe) should be mentioned. One of the important Islamic monuments in this region is the Taşkınpaşa Complex (Külliye) in Damsa Village, which is known to exist since the Karamanoğlu Principality.

It is noteworthy that in the 19th century, Cappadocian settlements such as Mustafapaşa (Sinasos), Derinkuyu (Malekopia) and Ürgüp hosted concentrated populations of the Anatolian Greek citizens of the Ottoman Empire. As testimony to this, many churches are seen in the region today.

The settlement of Ürgüp, or St. Prokopios – its oldest known name, was founded as a little town with cave houses carved into steep rocks on the valley of Tomisos (today Damsa) stream. The main historical spot is the rock formation also known as Esbelli, the center of settlement in Ürgüp. It is surrounded with dwellings and ruins of other buildings carved into the land or made with local stones, part of which forms Kayakapi Neighbourhood.

Transportation and Settlement System

Today, lying 17 km east of Nevşehir, Ürgüp is a major tourism center with its naturally carved topographical shapes, underground cities and rock-carved churches. The city is located on the Nevşehir – Kayseri highway and also has a developed transportation system reaching smaller centers such as Avanos, Ortahisar, Uçhisar and Göreme, due to its interactive economical and social relations. There are regular buses, which come to Ürgüp as well as daily / specialized tours, mostly because it is a preferred place by travel agencies. The ring road passing north of the city is partially completed and urban development continues on the east and northeast, towards the plains of Damsa Stream and the hills on the Kayseri road. In the latest planning works (see Background of Project Development), the lack of urban sub-centers is recognized. New regulations have been brought about to slowly move small-scaled industrial areas to the outskirts of the city.

Although as much as 25 hectares of the city were declared tourism areas in the Implementation Plan, due to the excessive amount of financing that is needed, investments could be realized on only half of that area and lately have come to a stopping point. In recent years, visitor accommodation was mainly achieved through small-scaled establishments in dwelling areas.

Kalpaklı Kaya Natural Site, with its spreading boundaries, is within the region where Esbelli Rock is situated and is defined as an important reference point, which can affect the city macro form during planning projects.

Technically, the water and sewage structures are sufficient. There is a treatment plant built and managed by the Ministry of Tourism. Waste products from the houses are processed and are directed to the Damsa Stream.

Settlement Fabric and Architectural Features

The Kayakapi Project involves an area of 157 buildings and approximately 23.5 hectares consisting of 255 lots.