Çavuşin

This is a small village in Cappadocia (Nevsehir Province, Turkey), about five kilometers north of Goreme on the road to Avanos. His glory is not from the population (a little more than 400 souls), but from the rocky ridge with churches carved simply in the stone.

Two cave churches, both dedicated to John the Baptist. In the one near the road, the facade partially collapsed and revealed frescoes with angels, scenes of the Nativity and the Forty Martyrs of Sebastien. There is even a portrait of the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros Phokas with his wife Theophano.

Images of Nikephoros Phokas date back to 963-969 - that's when the emperor was documented visiting Cappadocia. The second church is generally an early basilica of about the 6th century, although only pale traces of its frescoes remain under a layer of soot.

Chavushin stands right on the Goreme - Avanos highway, so it is a short drive from Goreme. The old village on the ridge was once residential, but in the early 1960s people were moved closer to the road because the cave houses began to crumble.

Yes, from the ridge there is a view of the same "stone mushrooms" - a visual lecture on how the wind and rain over the centuries carved out fancy shapes from the soft tuff. In the 2010s, several hotels were built here in the old part of the village, so spending the night with such a view is also possible.