The rock-cut settlement and the courtyard complex of Sahinefendi (Nevsehir, Turkey)

Since 2006 the Department of Conservation of Cultural Heritage of University of Tuscia (Viterbo, Italy) has been working in the territory of Nevşehir (Cappadocia, Turkey) in the mission “Rock painting in Cappadocia. For a project of knowledge, conservation and enhancement”, supported by the General Direction of Monuments and Museums of the Turkish Republic and the Archaeological Museum of Nevşehir. The focus of this project is on the development of landscape and settlement in Byzantine period, through an approach that integrates archaeological, historical and artistic surveys on sites of the region. The investigation in the areas of Şahinefendi (2006-2013) and of Göreme (from 2012, with the Department of Architecture of University of Florence) offer an opportunity to explore the interrelation between sacred and secular spaces in Byzantine Cappadocia. The contribution presents a preliminary report of the research conducted on one of the rock-cut monasteries located around the Open Air Museum in Göreme and the Tokalı kilise. The survey has been conducted through the stratigraphic analysis of the excavation traces and the typological study of furnishings and decorative elements. The site documentation has been produced with digital techniques; especially the architectural survey was carried out using 3D laser scanner, photogrammetry and virtual tour panoramic 360.