

Panoramas by Heiner Straesser


Zelve 2, Cappadocia, Turkey

The open-air museum of Zelve covers two parallel valleys with hundreds of cave hoses, churches, chapels, mosques and a mill. People lived here...
Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey

Courtyard of the Blue Mosque. It's just a view days before Ramadan and there had been built small open huts for traders who sell religious goods.
Güzelyurt 10-1 (Yüksek Kilise - High Church ), Cappadocia, Turkey

Outside of the village of Guezelyurt (= nice homeland) there is the Yueksek Kilise on the top of a rock. From here you have a great view into the...
Hacli Kilise - Church with the Cross, Cappadocia, Turkey

This cave church (10./11.century) is in the Cappadocian Kızılçukur-Valley, inside a tuff rock cone. The wooden stairs lead inside. There you will...
Canli Kilise, Cappadocia, Turkey

Ruin of the Canli church (11th century) in Cappadocia with the volcano Hasan Dag in the background.
Entrance to the Mavrucan Hac Cave Church in Cappadocia, Turkey

Entrance to a small cave church with wallpaintings in the local Cappadocian style, about 11th century. Without protection it is only a matter of...
Somewhere in the Taurus Mountains, Turkey

View at the Taurus Mountains between Antalya and Isparta.
Lake of Köycegiz, Turkey

Early morning at the lake of Köycegiz. Originally it was a lagoon of the mediterranean sea. Now the lake is only connected with the sea by a small...
Güzelyurt 10-5, Cappadocia, Turkey

The name of the village Güzelyurt means "nice homeland". Originally most of the people living here were Greek, but politics forced them to leave...
Taksim Square, Istanbul, Turkey

This is one of the central squares in Istanbul. Here are an underground station, a bus station, mini-bus station and the turning point of the...
Oymaagac 2009-7, Turkey

Somewhere in the village of Oymaagac. Step by step the traditional houses disappear, to be replaced by faceless concrete buildings. Tobacco is the...
Barbara Church, Soganli Valley, Cappadocia, Turkey

Cave church in the Cappadocian Soganli valley. With the help of some inscriptions in the frescoes it is possipble to date the cave church to the...
Former Greek Quarter in Nevsehir, Cappadocia, Turkey

The area south of the castle of Nevşehir was inhabited mainly by Christians until 1923 and the people exchange between Turkey and Greece. Later...
Ruins of a Monastery, Taurus Mountains, Turkey

Byzantine (?) ruins of a monastery somewhere in a deep valley in the Taurus mountains in Turkey. This cave was probably the house of the monks and...
Ruins of a Monastery in the Taurus Mountains, Turkey

Byzantine (?) ruins of a monastery somewhere in a deep valley in the Taurus mountains in Turkey. There is still a bit of the ancient wallpaintings...
Kilistra (Gökyurt), Turkey

The modern village of Gokyurt is built on the remains of the historic Kilistra. This is one of the first villages, where the early Christians were...
Güzelyurt 09-4, Cappadocia, Turkey

The name of the village Güzelyurt means "nice homeland". In the village you can find traditional stone houses, underground cities and several cave...
Railwaymuseum 9, Camlik, Turkey

The railway station of Camlik had been built in 1856 by the Britains. It's on the way from Izmir to Aydin. Not far away from the station there was...
Windmill, Cubuk Lake, Turkey

One of the few windmills at the Cubuk Gölü in Central Turkey.
Lykian Rock Grave, Sura, Turkey

Sura, Lykian rock grave and grave-monument, 4th century BC. In ancient times Sura was famous for its fish oracle. In the background is the...