Kayseri and Erciyes: The Seljuk City, Erciyes Volcano Skiing Resort, Kultepe Assyrian Trading Colony, Kayseri Castle and Bazaar, Mount Erciyes Summit, and the Gateway City to Cappadocia
The Kayseri and Erciyes route covers the Seljuk architectural heritage of Kayseri, the Erciyes volcano skiing resort at 3,916 meters, the Kultepe Assyrian trading colony karum with the oldest texts in Anatolia, the Kayseri castle and Grand Bazaar, the Mount Erciyes summit walk, and Kayseri as the primary arrival gateway for the Cappadocia visit.
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Kayseri City: The Seljuk Architectural Heritage
Kayseri, the provincial capital 75 kilometers from Goreme and the historical capital of the Cappadocia region, preserves the most complete collection of Seljuk and early Ottoman architectural monuments in Central Anatolia after Konya, with the Hunat Hatun complex of 1238, the Cifte Medrese double seminary of 1205, the Sahipata complex, and the 12 Seljuk hans and caravanserais that the medieval city concentrated in its commercial district. The Kayseri Seljuk architectural heritage is the most important single collection of 13th century Islamic architecture in Turkey.
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Erciyes Ski Resort: The Anatolian Volcano Skiing
The Erciyes ski resort on the slopes of the 3,916-meter Erciyes volcano above Kayseri, the most comprehensively developed ski resort in Central Anatolia with 12 chairlifts and 35 ski runs operating from November to April, provides the most unexpected leisure counterpoint to the archaeological Cappadocia circuit and the most visually dramatic skiing backdrop in Turkey. The view from the Erciyes ski runs over the Cappadocia plateau, with the Goreme fairy chimney landscape visible 75 kilometers to the west on clear days, is the most unusual panoramic ski view in Turkey.
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Kultepe: The Oldest Texts in Anatolia
Kultepe, the Hittite-period tell mound 20 kilometers north of Kayseri, is the site of the ancient city of Kanesh and the Assyrian trading colony karum where Assyrian merchants from Assur operated from approximately 1950 to 1750 BC and left the cuneiform clay tablets that are the oldest written documents from Anatolia and the earliest evidence of the Silk Road trading network. The Kultepe museum in Kayseri displays the tablets and the objects from the excavations, providing the most important Bronze Age archive from Anatolia outside the Hattusa archives.
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Kayseri Castle and Grand Bazaar: The Ottoman Commercial Heart
The Kayseri castle, the Byzantine fortress of the 4th century AD rebuilt by the Seljuks and the Ottomans into the black basalt fortification that now stands in the city centre, surrounded by the Grand Bazaar that the Ottoman commercial activity organized in the covered market halls adjacent to the castle walls, is the most commercially active historical site in Kayseri and the place where the Kayseri pastirma cured beef and the sucuk spiced sausage, the two most internationally known Kayseri food products, are sold directly from the butcher stalls that have been in continuous operation since the Ottoman period.
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Mount Erciyes Summit Walk: The Volcano Crater
The Mount Erciyes summit hike from the ski resort top station at 3,100 meters to the Erciyes summit at 3,916 meters, covering the volcanic crater rim and the snow fields on the south face, provides the highest accessible summit in Central Anatolia and the most complete view of the geological formation that created the Cappadocia landscape. The Erciyes summit on a clear October day reveals the entire extent of the Cappadocia region to the west, the Anatolian plateau in all directions, and the distant Taurus mountain chain to the south.
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Kayseri as Gateway: Flights and Cappadocia Access
Kayseri Erkilet Airport, 45 minutes from Goreme, is one of the two airports serving Cappadocia alongside the Nevsehir Kapadokya Airport 40 minutes from Goreme, and receives the direct domestic flights from Istanbul and Ankara as well as some international charter connections. The Kayseri airport access combined with the Kayseri city half-day visit provides the most efficient arrival and departure circuit for the Cappadocia visitor who wants to combine the archaeological and geological sites with the Seljuk architectural heritage of the regional capital.