The two open-air museums near Nevşehir saw a sharp year-on-year increase in visitors, with guides highlighting the region’s layered history and unique landscapes
Zelve and Paşabağı, among the most visited archaeological sites in Türkiye, welcomed a total of 1,271,943 visitors last year, official data showed.
According to figures from the Nevşehir Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, Paşabağı Open-Air Museum, located 5 kilometers from the Avanos district center, and the nearby Zelve Open-Air Museum continue to attract strong interest from both domestic and foreign tourists visiting Cappadocia.
Monthly visitor numbers peaked in spring and autumn, with 173,514 visitors in May and 152,438 in October. The two sites had hosted 948,746 visitors the previous year, marking a significant increase.
Nevşehir Chamber of Tourist Guides President Özay Onur said the sites stand out for their rock-cut chapels, dwellings and dense fairy chimney formations.
“Cappadocia is a rare region in terms of its historical, cultural and geographical structure. It is the only place in the world that can be explored in three ways,” Onur told sate-run Anadolu Agency. “Underground cities offer one world, the surface offers another, and when you rise into the sky by balloon, you encounter a completely different landscape.”
Noting that Zelve was one of the earliest settlements in the Cappadocia region and also among the last to be abandoned, Onur said the area remained inhabited until the 1950s, when the village was relocated due to rockfall risks.
“When people visit these sites, they feel as if they are traveling through time in a time machine,” he said. Paşabağı, meanwhile, is known for its distinctive ‘capped’ fairy chimneys, where geological formations can be observed most clearly.
Onur added that the sites are visited year-round, with strong interest from South American and Far Eastern tourists.
The archaeological sites also contribute to the local economy. Souvenir stalls established as part of restoration and organization works carried out by the Culture and Tourism Ministry are operated by local tradespeople.
Zelve-Paşabağı Tradesmen’s Cooperative President Murat Öztürk said visitor interest has had a positive impact on local businesses, noting seasonal shifts in visitor profiles. “In spring, we see more visitors from Spain, Mexico and Brazil, while Chinese and South Korean tourists are more common in winter,” he said.
Local shopkeeper Halil Coşkun added that images shared on social media continue to boost interest in the sites, drawing increasing numbers of visitors each year.
