Cappadocia (Nevşehir 0384)

Cappadocia is a region in central Turkey, largely in Nevşehir Province. Over 5 % of the Dutch Turkish re-migrated pensioners live around Nevşehir and Kirşehir. The earliest record of the name of Cappadocia dates from the late 6th century BC. The name Cappadocia was traditionally used in Christian sources throughout history and is still widely used as an international tourism concept to define a region of unique historical and cultural heritage. Volcanic deposits formed soft rocks that the people carved out to form houses, churches and monasteries. The Göreme Open Air Museum is the most visited site of Cappadocia and contains more than 30 rock-carved churches and chapels with frescoes inside. The area now sees a lot of movie activity due to the region's topography. In the STGM database Nevsehir has a total of 46 NGO’s of which 4 were dedicated to education and youth, 3 to culture and 0 to arts. One activity was listed as ‘Offshore’.

Events and organizations that are relevant for art and culture in Cappadocia are:

-          International Contemporary Art Festival organized by Fabrikartgroup (realized solely by efforts of local operators)

-          Independent contemporary art groups in Ürgüp are now working with Istanbul-based curators to take part in contemporary art projects in France (2009)

-          Avanos Art and Culture Association

-          Artist in residency in İbrahimpaşa village: Babayan Culture House, run by Dutch artist Willemijn Bouman

-          Mustafapasa has a university focused on culture and tourism (Kapadokya Meslek Yüksekokulu) which is very approachable for collaborations.

-          Avanos International Handicrafts and pottery exhibition is held every July.