Göreme is the main travel destination in Cappadocia, Turkey. Whatever you see attached to the name Cappadocia is actually Göreme. Göreme is a part of Cappadocia, which has other regions as well. I just wanted to clear up the misconception at the beginning.
In the 3 days we have stayed at Göreme I have found out that this area has a long history of craftsmanship. On day one, we visited the famous “Galerie Ikman”. This place is a Carpet/rug shop run by a family for generations. But nowadays, this place has gotten more attention due to Instagrammers. With a central roofless squareshape area covered entirely with hundreds of carpets, it is a pretty fascinating place for photography. To capitalize on the opportunity, the owners now offer camera, drone photo and video packages for travelers. Before going there, I wasn’t sure if they would allow me to do my own photography. But they were kind enough to let us do it. My wife and I went there dressed up for our photo shoot. The photographer who works there was also helpful in taking our couple photo.
My wife wanted to buy a rug from there as well. So, after our photoshoot, we started looking for rugs to buy. The current owner of the shop was present at that time. He directly asked us about our budget. After that, he started showing designs that were close to the range. But the design we liked had a higher price tag than we expected. Enter the bargaining war between my wife & the owner. After about 10 minutes of back and forth, the owner offered us the rug close to our range. It is a blue coloured rug, and we loved it! While folding the rug, one salesman described the story behind the design. First, he mentioned that these rugs are usually made by women of the region. Historically, the women here had to know how to weave carpets/rugs to get married. Otherwise, she would not find a suitor. Then the salesman gracefully explained how the weaver of the rug made the center design that represents the power of a family and the surrounding designs represent the tree of life. With this design the weaver expressed to leave her memories for her later generations. The blue colour of our rug is to protect the user from evil eyes. In the end, we didn’t just buy a rug, we ended up buying a great story to tell.
On day two, we visited the Pigeon Valley first. There, we saw how the farmers of the past used to make their homes inside the fairy chimneys and farm using Pigeons. Each house used to harbour hundreds of pigeons in a separate setting. The farmers used pigeon droppings as fertilizers back in the day.
After the Pigeon Valley, we went to the open-air museum. This place has some of the oldest churches in history. The surrounding mountains were hiding places for Christians during the Roman Empire because, at that time, the practice of Christianity was considered a crime. So many people from different regions gathered inside this mountain and made their own society, with homes, schools, churches, and everything else built inside the mountains. That way, it was easier to hide from the oppressors.
The next stop was a famous pottery shop called Kapadokya Seramik. Pottery is also part of traditional culture here. They showed us live demonstrations there. The gallery was filled with a vast collection of pottery with traditional Turkish designs. There was a separate room for glowing pottery. They use some unique materials to make the potteries glow in the dark.
What to Wear for Photography:
Try to wear clothes that complement the area, like red or orange. You can also wear white to create a nice contrast. Do not try to wear any darker color, it will only just kill the mood of the photo.
Fellow travelers, you may travel to Göreme for the hot air balloons but try to taste the culture around you as well. It is a fascinating place to be in.
