Global Treasures: Goreme

Television Director: Ullman, Frank

Producer: Scarson, Peter O.

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Catalogue Number: GTR-DVD-1310

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Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.

In the heart of Turkey, in Cappadocia, is the Göreme Valley, a miracle of nature. The main village nestles amid a strange landscape whose many striking stone cones are called fairy chimneys, and volcanic tuff is the raw material from which the unique landscape is formed.

For hundreds of years the people of the region have either dug their dwelling caves into the soft tuff or built their houses from it. Open churches whose walls have partially collapsed alternate with terrace-like living rooms and, recently, cave hotels. The exotic atmosphere of the centuries-old scenery is truly breathtaking.

The El Nazar Church was carved into freestanding tuff cone, yet despite several years of erosion it looks quite stable and features discernible frescos.

Long after the Turkish conquest of Anatolia the ascetic dream of the Cappadocian monks has indeed survived.