The fairy chimneys uniquely found in this region of Anatolia and the tradition of rock-carved houses are a result of the nature of this special kind of soft tuff stone.

The ‘land of beautiful horses’, as it was called by the Persians, is renowned for the rock-carved shelters that were made by the early Christians fleeing the wave of iconoclasm which spread in the Byzantine Empire, and later by those who escaped the Arab attacks during the 8th – 9th centuries AD.

The region is believed to be used as a missionary center, starting from the 1st – 2nd centuries AD, when the first Christian communities appeared, leading the construction of many churches and monasteries in Ürgüp – Göreme, which is now a Historical National Park, and in neighbouring areas.

It is noteworthy that in the 19th century, Cappadocian settlements such as Mustafapaşa (Sinasos), Derinkuyu (Malekopia) and Ürgüp hosted concentrated populations of the Anatolian Greek citizens of the Ottoman Empire.

The settlement of Ürgüp, or St. Prokopios – its oldest known name, was founded as a little town with cave houses carved into steep rocks on the valley of Tomisos (today Damsa) stream.

Today, lying 17 km east of Nevşehir, Ürgüp is a major tourism center with its naturally carved topographical shapes, underground cities and rock-carved churches.

The city is located on the Nevşehir – Kayseri highway and also has a developed transportation system reaching smaller centers such as Avanos, Ortahisar, Uçhisar and Göreme, due to its interactive economical and social relations.

Kalpaklı Kaya Natural Site, with its spreading boundaries, is within the region where Esbelli Rock is situated and is defined as an important reference point, which can affect the city macro form during planning projects.

The historical Kayakapi Neighbourhood is situated on the northeastern slope of a natural elevation known as Esbelli Rock, which is the most dominant visual and physical feature of the Ürgüp city center.

The site comprises many monumental and residential cultural properties – among them, the House of John (Esat Ağa Konağı) – that have become part of the natural topography.

Its position within the sector is still improving, with many hotels and pensions in the city, comprising a bed capacity of about 1.000; with the Kayakapi Project, this number is expected to double.

The main economic activities in Ürgüp involve trade based on tourism, marble souvenir workshops, carpet weaving, and agricultural products.

Within these plans, the Kayakapi Neighbourhood carried the status of a ‘natural site’, until recently, thus staying untouched by nearby modern urban development.