Mustafapasa is a small town which is in the southeast of Cappadocia and 20km to Goreme. From Seljuk ( 11th century) Age, Rums ( Anatolian Greek Orthodox ) and Turks lived together. Sinasos of Ottoman Period had a great population of Rums. Sinasos was richer than other villages in Cappadocia because most of Rums were trading in Istanbul and they were rich businessmen. It is a fact that minority tended to trade and became richer after the capitulations of Ottoman Age. Together with wealth, a new perspective to life and an understanding of it happened to more modern houses, fascinating buildings and more organized social life. They are the unique qualifications of Sinasos.
Sinasos as ancient name, Mustafapasa for today… It was a sweet and small town in the land of Fairy Chimneys, Cappadocia. Praying from mosques and bell rings from churches applauded themselves when it was only a village. Until the interchange in 1924, 600 Rums ( Anatolian Greek Orthodox ) and 150 Turkish family were living in the town. In various publishing about the event of near past which was named as ”Migration”, ”The interchange of Population”, the situation was impressed and lots of academic works were done.
In 30th of January 1923, with the legal arrangement between Turkey and Greece as the headset of ”The agrement and protocol between Turkey and Greece” Muslim People living except west Thracia and Orthodox people living except Istanbul, Bozcaada and Gokceada were interchanged, Even though exact number was unknown, at least two million people were forced to migrate. They left the hometown that they were born and grown. They took everything movable by putting there immovable property. Istead of Rums, exchanged people from Jerveni Village of Castoria city in Greece were replaced.
Living in peace for hundreds of years and sharing the same destiny, Rums and Turks are memorialized in order to pass the cultural heritage down from one generation to another. Exchanged people carried their customs and traditions to Anatolia. It is possible to see it even today. Some of the exchanged people continue to talk Macedonian Language. They also make their meals, play their music and live their customs.
The important churches and monasteries around Mustafapasa are, the church of Aios Vasilos, the church of Constantine-Elene, churches in the monastery valley and, the church of St. Basil in the Gomede valley. There is also a Caravansary built during the Ottoman period and dis- playing fine examples of stone masonry and woodcraft.
