The small village of Çavuşin is located 6 kilometres northeast of Göreme on the on the road to Avanos. The village of Çavuşin, with a good hotel and several pensions is striking with the remains of a large cave town. Near this settlement there are many buildings that are pressed against the rocks and continue into them. The back wall, exposing a multi-level system of dwellings, was left of the of the rock city after another collapse. The rock, riddled like a piece of cheese, you can see it from afar, so Chavushin isn't hard to find. In this "cheese" lived people in the fifties of the twentieth century. Until 1953, this part of the city was inhabited by Turks living in caves. The Christians were expelled after a big earthquake and the inhabitants were forbidden to live in the caves. It's likely that the collapse because the rock couldn't withstand the piling up of new rocks of new passages and rooms being cut into it. In these caves, chandelier hooks are evidence of recent human habitation, and there are also house numbers preserved on some of the caves.
The small village of Čavušin is surrounded by amazingly beautiful rock churches built in the 1st century. Chavushin village is surrounded by amazingly beautiful rock churches built between the 1st and 10th centuries. Some of the churches are located in Güllüder and Kizilcukur. Here is the largest and oldest church in the region - "Vaftizdji Yahya". There is a country road leading to "Buyuk Güverçinlik" Church in the direction of Avanos, built in honour of Emperor Nicephorus Phocas in the Byzantine period. The frescoes in the church of St John tell the story of the pilgrimage, as well as the campaign of Nicephorus Phocas through Cappadocia in 964-965. The rock complex itself is still occasionally used as a warehouse, although it was inhabited by people not so long ago. The rock in which the Church of Nikephoros Phokas is located, with the dovecotes that gave it another name - the House of the Dove, is on the side of Pashabaga.
On the highest point of Chavushin is the Church of St John the Baptist, or as it is called Vaftizci Yahya. This church dates back to the fifth century and is one of the oldest churches in Cappadocia. Inside it is a chain of cave rooms, semi-vertical passages between different levels, connected by corridors. On the frescoes show scenes of the life of Jesus, Mary, and the apostles. Many of the frescoes have been lost, but some fragments can still be seen. They belong to the 7th-8th centuries. Here, if you look very closely, you can see a fresco that depicts the sacrifice of Abraham. To St John's Church, there's a metal a metal staircase that was built after the collapse of an ancient bridge.
The labyrinth of the cave, which "gnawed out" a large part of the promontory of the rock, can be accessed behind the church of St John. In it, the rooms are connected in three-dimensional intricate chains, no worse than in any underground city. Often the passage to to the next room may be in the far corner of the cave in a semi-circular recess. You can only see the passage when you are directly in front of it. The tunnel is so chaotic that it can suddenly turn into a staircase or a well, or it can lead to a cliff many metres down, or straight into a cliff if the road ahead or into a cave. In the cave, all the entrances are bent several times, so they don't let any light in at all, which means you can't get out without a torch. A sea of pleasure will get fans of labyrinths, and not under, and above the ground.
On the main street of the village of Chavushina you can see the rocky cape, which is scraped through by another cluster of caves. It's easier to approach it from the northern side of the cliff, closest to Avanos. north side. On the far, southern side, there is a tributary valley, which has unexpectedly high and steep sides, occupied by the remains of buildings of old Chavushin. Many of the houses are partially destroyed. What is interesting is that this destruction comes from top to bottom: first the roof, then the ceilings of the living, upper floors and thin walls. В the last to collapse is the strong masonry of the ground floor, which usually has a like a vaulted semi-basement, parts of which are chiselled into the rock.
It is quite impressive to see a large and deserted city suddenly coming into view from the the cliff opposite. At the top of the town, a path begins, passing over the cliffs and leading to Zelva, away from all roads and other signs of civilisation. It runs up the mountain, behind which the sun sets in the evening.
The inhabitants of the village of Chavushin have already moved out of the caves and into new modern houses. The local population is hospitable and smiling, but few people know English, outside of the populated tourist areas. This fact in no way prevents tourists from exchanging greetings and smiles. If you are set up for a long conversation, you are likely to find it among the same kind of same tourists who come to see the area.
The local cemetery testifies to the remarkable health of the local people, who have easily passed the century mark.
