Ihlara Valley

This is a 15-kilometer canyon in Cappadocia (Central Anatolia, Turkey) with a depth of about 150 meters. The volcanic rock here is not just beautiful - people have dug caves and churches in it for centuries.

The main feature is the rock churches with Byzantine frescoes carved directly into the canyon walls. Once there were 105 of them here, 13 of them are still open to visitors. The paintings differ in age: the early ones are of the Syrian style of the 9th century, the later ones are colored from the 11th century.

The landmark is the city of Aksaray, about 40 km south of it. The trail itself stretches along the canyon between the villages of Ihlara and Selime, so you can walk through it.

The canyon is long, and the path goes down between the rocks and along the river, so you should set aside at least half a day for the full passage and inspection of the churches. Comfortable shoes are a must - there is no asphalt here.

They began to be built in the 4th century, and in a couple of millennia the valley turned into a real underground religious center of Christian Cappadocia. Each preserved church is a piece of Byzantine art simply in the rock.