Take01
1969
Medea
Pasolini shot the first part, with Maria Callas, at Göreme, Uçhisar, Ürgüp and Çavuşin
38.6431°N, 34.8289°E
Cappadocia
Fairy chimneys, rock-cut churches and dawn balloon flights inside a UNESCO-listed landscape that one body, the Cappadocia Area Presidency, has controlled since 2019. We secure its approval in writing, plan balloon days around SHGM's morning weather call, and build winter schedules that allow for snow.
Scroll
Scene 01 — Filmed Here
Notable Productions in Cappadocia
Take02
2012
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Turkish unit in Cappadocia (plus the theatre at Pamukkale), filmed between November 2010 and January 2011
Take03
2014
Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu)
Two winter months at the rock-cut 'Hotel Othello', then four weeks on Istanbul stages. Won the Palme d'Or
Scene 02 — Locations
Filming Locations in Cappadocia
From landmark monuments to hidden quarters — every district scouted and permit-mapped.
natural
Fairy-Chimney Valleys (Love, Rose, Red, Kızılçukur)
Volcanic tufa pillars and ridges beneath the balloon routes, inside the area managed by the Cappadocia Area Presidency.
Balloon Flights & Launch Fields
The region had 367 registered balloons in 2025. Flights go only after SHGM's Nevşehir coordinators rule the weather suitable that morning, and cancellations reach pilots through an online system.
Complex
Göreme Open-Air Museum
Rock-cut churches with Byzantine painting at the heart of the 1985 UNESCO listing, Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia.
Strict
Uçhisar Castle
At 179 m, the largest fairy chimney in Cappadocia by Uçhisar Municipality's count, with views over the surrounding valleys.
Moderate
Derinkuyu & Kaymaklı Underground Cities
Multi-level underground settlements included in the UNESCO listing and run as Ministry sites.
Complex
Medea Villages: Göreme, Uçhisar, Ürgüp, Çavuşin
The rock villages Pasolini used for Medea in 1969. They still read as period exteriors with careful framing.
Moderate
Cave Hotels
Hotels built into the rock. Winter Sleep shot most of its two winter months at one, the fictional Hotel Othello, before moving interiors to Istanbul stages.
Easy
Göreme
The UNESCO-listed core: rock-cut churches with post-Iconoclastic Byzantine painting at the Göreme Open-Air Museum, a Ministry site. Göreme lost its national-park status in October 2019 when the Area Presidency took over.
Uçhisar
Uçhisar Castle, which the municipality describes as Cappadocia's largest fairy chimney at 179 m, drew about 211,000 visitors in January–September 2024. Plan around them.
Ürgüp & Mustafapaşa
Ürgüp was one of Pasolini's Medea locations. SHGM keeps its Cappadocia agency at Mustafapaşa, which oversees the balloon operators.
Çavuşin
Village of rock dwellings used in Medea in 1969. Like the rest of the area, exteriors run through the Area Presidency.
Love, Rose, Red & Kızılçukur Valleys
The fairy-chimney valleys under the balloon routes. No published site-specific filming rules exist for them, so we confirm each set-up with the Area Presidency before the recce.
Scene 03 — The Case for Cappadocia
Why Film in Cappadocia
- ✓Foreign Film Production Support refunds up to 30% of Ministry-accepted spend in Türkiye for features, documentaries and series, paid as a lump sum after audit to the Turkish co-producer or service company that applies. We can act as that partner.
- ✓Two-layer permits we handle end to end: the General Directorate of Cinema permit on filmingpermit.ktb.gov.tr at least 10 business days before shooting, then Area Presidency, governorship and site permissions for each location. The 2019 regulation also requires a Turkish-citizen fixer on the production.
- ✓Snow on the fairy chimneys is regular from December to February. Nevşehir's January mean is −0.1 °C with a mean low of −3.6 °C, and winter sunshine averages 3.1 hours a day against 11.9 in July. Winter Sleep shot here for two winter months.
- ✓May is the wettest month (57.9 mm over about 13 rainy days); July and August are the driest (about 9 mm), which suits long exterior days.
- ✓Drones are an SHGM matter. Foreign operators have applied through diplomatic channels at least 20 business days ahead, and the July 2026 SHGM instruction phases in new rules through July 2027, so we fly with a Turkish licensed pilot, as the transition rules require supervision by one.
Scene 04 — Logistics
Transport & Logistics
AirportsNAV (The closer of the two airports to Göreme) · ASR (In Kayseri, farther from Göreme than NAV)▼
Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport (NAV) — The closer of the two airports to Göreme
Crew transfer arranged by our teamRental car
Kayseri Erkilet Airport (ASR) — In Kayseri, farther from Göreme than NAV
Crew transfer arranged by our teamRental car
Local Transitcar · taxi▼
car
Production vans are the only practical way to move crew and kit between villages and valleys.
Crew tip: We found no film studio or rental house in Cappadocia, so plan for kit to travel from Istanbul or Ankara and book the truck accordingly.
taxi
Useful for small recce teams between villages.
Crew tip: Carry each location name written in Turkish.
Production Parkingmoderate · Permits required▼
Viewpoints and launch fields fill at dawn when the balloons fly, so we stage vehicles away from them.
We agree base-camp positions with the Area Presidency and the relevant municipality during the permit stage.
Getting Between Locations▼
Build each day around the balloon decision: SHGM confirms or cancels flights each morning, so we schedule a ground-based alternative for every balloon slot. In winter, snow and ice affect valley access, and short daylight limits the working day.
Ready?
Plan Your Cappadocia Shoot
From permits and crew to equipment and logistics — we handle everything on the ground so you can focus on capturing the land of fairy chimneys.