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Open Air Museums in Turkey

Gerome Open Air Museum is the major attraction of Cappadocia. This is a fascinating complex which houses numerous painted cave churches which have been carved by the Orthodox monks of 900 A.D to 1200 A.D. And, whenever we refer to open air museum in Turkey, we actually talk about the Gerome Open Air Museum. This open air museum in Turkey is situated in Turkey's Gerome Valley, which is just 15 minutes away from Urgup. You will get to see 10 chapels and churches in the museum area and there is actually no dearth of attractions in the open air museum in Turkey. These caves were previously explored by the local villagers. You can begin the exploration from the counterclockwise direction leading towards the marked path. Otherwise, you might lose your way.

The paintings and interior decoration are awesome and the carvings represent some of the rare Cappadocian artistic style. Unfortunately, quite a large number of paintings and frescoes got damaged during the Iconoclastic period. You would definitely like the columns, capitals and arches of the churches featuring Byzantine architectural style. You would realize that none of these inclusions were actually required for the structure but they are simply decorative additions. The Apple Church is one of the small churches of the open air museums in Turkey. The Apple Church has been carved in such a fashion that it resembles the sign of a Greek cross especially from the ways in which the four irregular pillars have been erected to support a central dome. It was in 1991, when this church was restored and the paintings depict martyrs, bishops, saint and so on.

One should not miss the charm of the Snake Church. It is a highly simple church with long nave and low ceiling. The Dark Church was actually used as a pigeon house till 1950s. Here, you can check out some of the authentic scenes from the New Testament along with some fine examples from 11th century Byzantine art. You might have to pay an additional admission fee for the entrance into the main church. The open air museum in Turkey is visited by quite an impressive number of tourist as well as the local people every day and this is why, it is advised to get into the Gerome Open Air Museum as early as possible in order to avoid the excessive crowd and midday heat. The open air museums in Turkey is mostly visited by the monastic communities in Cappadocia. The complex is comprised of 30 churches and chapels featuring fascinating frescoes of the 11th century. The interiors are highly Byzantine in essence and the floor plan has been designed in the shape of a cross. If you want to go through some superb paintings, then, visit the Carikli, Elmali and Karanlik churches. The largest church is Tokali Church and it is also the best preserved one with walls depicting scenes from the New Testament.

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