| In 1998, the German anthropologist Andus Emge purchased
a plot of land around a rock cone on the outermost perimeter
of Göreme. It was in a fairly dilapidated state because
it hadn’t been used for several decades. His aim has
been to examine it scientifically and renovate it in a simple
but appropriate way.
The history of the place
The tall rock cone bears witness to a very early Christian
settlement, dating perhaps from as early as the 4th century
AD. Not only the outside reveals traces of rooms that have
long since eroded away, the inside also contains rooms whose
style points to that time. The rock-cut rooms were originally
connected by secret underground passages and steps concealed
in chimneys, which are still partly usable today.
Living in the tufa rock
The largest room inside contains rounded arches and other
decorative elements, which indicates that it was used in the
late Byzantine period some hundred years ago. Here, too, there
is a 3 m large wheel-shaped structure that was cut almost
in its finished shape from a side wall. The initial im-pression
suggests that this is one of the famous rolling doors, which
are above all known from de-fence installations such as at
Derinkuyu or Kaymakl¦, but its diameter is far too large for
that (3). Simi-larly the material it is made of rules out
the possibility that it was a millstone, and to this day its
true significance remains unknown.
Defence inside the rock
The complex has at any rate been designed with defence in
mind, which speaks for the middle of the 1st millenium AD,
when Cappadocia was subject to repeated attacks by Arabs and
Persians.
Dovecotes
Another tradition spanning many centuries is of cutting dovecotes
in the tuff in order to use the guano that collects there
as fertiliser for the fields. The rock cone on this plot of
land also has a hollowed-out dovecote with the typical nesting
alcoves, which extends many storeys up to the tip of the cone.
It is very likely that many of these dovecotes were only enlarged
in later times when the waning threat of foreign troops made
these rooms, which were originally thought of solely as places
of retreat, unnecessary.
Wine presses
Located on the estate are still-recognisable wine presses
(sirahane), which in some cases are unusu-ally large. Particularly
for the Byzantine period, it is easy to imagine that this
cave complex acted as a kind "wine factory" for
processing large quantities of grapes from the fields above,
which are still cultivated as vineyards. The large number
and size of the presses indicates that the land was at some
earlier date part of a larger cloister that presumably was
connected with the rock cones situated further to the north.
Challenge
Since the late 1980s, an increasing number of outsiders have
bought pieces of land in Göreme in or-der either to live
there or to build holiday homes. Some saw it as a particular
challenge to restore the old, dilapidated rock-cut dwellings
and to combine the old Cappadocian architecture with modern
needs and visions.
Getting started
After buying the for more then thirty years overgrown property
on an official way in getting a formal "Tapu", the
major interest in the beginning was to choose a part of the
dwelling-complex which could be used as a provisoric base.
Applications were made for water and electricity to be laid
on and a telephone-line to be installed. Furthermore, applications
were made to the local authorities in Göreme and to the
Department for Culture in Nevs¸ehir, which was accepted
under the normal conditions laid down for rebuilding and conversion.
Excavating and cleaning
After checking the fabric of the cone, excavation and digging
work was conducted in order to uncover buried rooms and collapsed
masonry. The old caverooms were freshly cut using the traditional
pick-hammer method, so as to remove the topmost layer of stone
that had been blackened and sealed by soot from the open fire
places. This allowed the porous stone once more to breathe
and harden. A further benefit of this cleaning work, which
is referred to here as "tiras etmek" (= shaving),
was greater brightness inside the rooms, which now reflect
more of the light that comes in through the few windows.
Surveying
In order to survey the existing fabric from an architectural
point of view, a project was conducted in collaboration with
the “Institut für Baugeschichte” at the “Technische
Universität Berlin”, which in summer 1999 provided
students and tutors to survey the cone and the surrounding
plots of land as part of the architectural practical study.
This result of the project was a documentation in form of
a ground-plan and a plan of the dimensions of the usable rooms.
A calm and collected approach
The goal of the renovation work is above all to convert the
local cave system in as apt a manner as possible, using old
construction methods. As far as possible an acceptable compromise
should be found between authenticity, modern usages and up-to-date
accommodation. Thus the construction and restoration work
will seek to maintain a simplicity of line in this complex
of rock-cut rooms, rock cone and architecture to avoid marring
the visual effect of the tuff cone as created by nature.
Present state of development
By summer 2002, the southeast half of the estate will have
been brought close to completion. The rear section facing
the west is still awaiting proper restoration. The infrastructure,
including drinking water, sewage, electricity as well as underfloor
heating for most of the rooms has also be successfully created.
Furtheron a telephone, fax- and internet connection is installed
as well as a satellite aerial for the television to please
the basic need of modern and international communication.
Both a small gar-den area with flowers and fruit trees, as
well as the restored terraces on the roofs of the annexes
to the rock cone offer a lovely view to different directions.
Future use
The future use of the property is also intended to embrace
luxury tourism and academic purposes. Apart from several guest
rooms and holiday homes, it contains a number of living rooms
(1) furnished in authentic old-Turkish style, along with carefully
appointed dining rooms, studies, ateliers, terraces and exhibition
spaces.
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