By Keith Edwards
Upon arrival in Cappadocia, I am disoriented. I seem to have stumbled into a Hollywood film set left over from The Hobbit and displaced onto a desert-like planet from Star Wars.
However, on arrival at The Museum Hotel in Uchisar, which is the highest point in the region, I am offered a delicious chilled glass of rose-coloured Ottoman sherbet along with nuts, dried apricots and a splash of cologne. That helps me reconnect with reality.
Not casually named, this Relais & Chateaux hotel houses astonishing and rare artifacts that are part of the museum in Nevsehir. Not long ago, this was a collection of ancient ruined houses and abandoned caves. The remains were carefully preserved and artfully incorporated into what must be one of the world’s most unusual luxury hotels. The numerous awards for best luxury hotel in both Turkey and Europe speak for themselves. What is astonishing is that the wonderfully engaging owner, Ömer Tosum, fired his architect two days into the project and ended up with architectural awards.
Orkun, a courtly moustachioed man in a gold-braided long black coat, leads me on a tour of the hotel and its museum pieces. One of the most amazing is what I assume to be a near-priceless early-Byzantine painted chest decorated with religious figures. There are also fabulous Ottoman costumes embroidered with gold thread, ancient rugs and Hittite pots, some of them more than 3,000 years old.
I follow Orkun down narrow, twisting passages that have been carved out of the soft volcanic rock. Some rooms are truly caves: warm, womb-like and beautifully decorated. No two are the same. My a commodation is the huge Kubbeli suite, decorated in the opulent Ottoman style, with a balcony offering breath-taking vistas over the valley below.
The hotel has the air of a miniature ancient village—which, in a sense, it is, reflecting the community it once was and is still part of. It has two small gardens, one with several amorous tortoises and another with skittish peacocks. There are terraced patios, a pool with a mosaic bottom and an art display corridor, all connected by snaking passages and winding steps.
On the patio I run into Ömer Tosum, the remarkable and outgoing entrepreneur. He clearly enjoys engaging with his guests, and his story is remarkable. With only a modest education but an entrepreneurial spirit, he began as a waiter in 1973, then went on to sell rugs to royalty, pioneered mobile banking in Turkey and was the first to launch balloon flights in Cappadocia—and those are just a few of his achievements. “Everyone said I was crazy to buy these ruined houses and caves in 1999,” he tells me with a chuckle over a glass of the hotel’s own red wine. They’re not laughing now.
Now he is working on his next project: development of regional geothermal power, which will power a new luxury hotel. If that’s not enough, he’s involved in charitable works for the community, and is restoring two ancient churches.
Early the next morning, the hotel arranges a car, driver and guide so I can visit three essential sites. First, the Kaymakli underground city: an historic five-level hideaway used by up to 1,000 people during the Arab-Byzantine wars (780-1180 AD). It’s an astonishing, if somewhat claustrophobic, warren of narrow tunnels and cave rooms. Then it’s on to the small but exquisite ceramic museum at the Guray Seramik factory. The quality of their modern artistic pieces is remarkable, and I’m tempted by a stunning plate depicting warriors on horseback from the Ottoman period. Lastly, I head off to the ancient monastic complex that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Goreme Open Air Museum. Don’t pass up the opportunity to visit the Dark Church; its 11th-century Byzantine frescoes are breathtaking. (An additional entry fee is required.)
Later, while wandering around the neighbourhood near the hotel, I run into a family sitting in front of their cave dwelling. They tell me the husband’s family has lived in this cramped but cozy home for 200 years. Remarkable!
With its friendly courteous staff, and the first-rate Lilya restaurant under chef Mustapha Buyukhan (try the rich Lamb Shank in a bone marrow reduction, and the Pear in Cotton Candy dessert), the Museum Hotel has transformed what was at first disconcerting about Cappadocia into a luxurious experience in a truly magical place.
