Urgup is a small settlement, during the Seljuk period and until the end of the Ottoman period, it was the largest city in Cappadocia. Then he was called Bashhisar. Bashhisar in translation means the main or central fortress (bash-head, hisar-fortress)
Urgüp is only slightly larger than Goreme in size and today aspires to become the tourist center of Cappadocia, just like it was during the Ottoman Empire. The city has many hotels, modern and authentic in the form of a cave, for different tastes and budgets. Cave hotels are located mainly in the center, in the old part of the city. The buildings in the city are built from blocks of local tuff, pink and sandy in color, as a result of which they almost completely blend into the surrounding landscape. Flat roofs of buildings are easily confused with square monoliths. On the approaches to the ancient city, the buildings of which are hidden in the lower valley, a tourist village has been built, which includes a number of modern buildings in the style of traditional local architecture. As a result of the large influx of tourists, a whole infrastructure was created here, including special services (in particular, a museum), which, fulfilling a certain functional role, do not disturb the harmony of this amazing landscape. And indeed, it is the panorama and the unique geological character of this area that is the main attraction of Urgüp and the surrounding area. Huge expanses stretch around, interrupted by pink gorges, from which tuff is mined for construction work.
Between Urgup and Nevsehir, nature scattered the so-called "Fairy Fireplaces" - whimsical rock formations in the form of cones of soft tuff, protected from above by a harder stone slab. Cracks formed in rocks as a result of tectonic processes allowed the atmospheric influence to penetrate between the blocks, modeling them, highlighting individual cones, which were preserved thanks to stable "caps" that reliably protect them from rain. A few kilometers from Urgüp there are many churches, the oldest among them are the structures of the Balkan Valley (VI century) in the direction of Ortahisar.
