Cappadocia, Central Turkey
Updated: May 15, 2020
The area in Central Turkey known as Cappadocia is an amazing place to visit and see.
The Turks did not live in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bythinia in the New Testament era.
The Seljuk Turks, newly converted to Islam by the Arabs (900s AD), came from Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kazakhistan, Turkmenistan, Kirgistan, Azerbaijan), first invaded the eastern part of what is today called “Turkey” and defeated the Byzantine armies at the Battle of Manzikert, near Van, in 1071 AD. This was the event that triggered the Byzantine emperor in Constantinople to ask the Pope in France for help, and the launching of the Crusades in 1095- 1299 AD. The Ottoman Turks became the dominant Turkic people after the Crusades and eventually conquered all of former Byzantine (Greek) Empire, in 1453 the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, renaming it Istanbul.
Peter wrote to the chosen believers who were scattered throughout these Roman Provinces. (see I Peter 1:1-2) There are many ancient ruins of frescoes and churches in the caves of Cappadocia.
Ancient church in Cappadocia, Turkey. The churches in the caves probably go back to Peter’s day; but most of the paintings and frescos are from the 800s into the 1300s AD.
Inside of an ancient church in Cappadocia, Turkey