Ihlara Valley is located at a distance of 40 km from
Aksaray. The valley can be reached by turning at the 11th km point of
Aksaray-
Nevşehir highway.The lava containing dense basalt and andesite vomited by
Hasandağ got cold thus leading to formation of crevices and settlements which then constituted the canyon. The
Melendiz brook which found its way through these crevices and gave the canyon its present shape was called “
Potamus Kapadukus” in the early ages meaning the “
Cappadocia River”. The 14 km long valley starts from Ihlara and ends in Selime. The height of the valley reaches 100-150 m at certain places. Along the valley there are numerous shelters, tombs and churches carved into stones. Some shelters and churches are interconnected through tunnels as is the case in underground cities.
Ihlara valley which after
Göreme and
Soğanlı valleys attracts attention with its natural beauty and numerous vastly decorated monasteries and churches is situated 25 km southeast of
Aksaray and on the northeast of
Hasandağ. It is known that
Ihlara Valley was used as a place of defence and a place used by the priests depending on the requirement. The frescoes inside the churches situated here date back to 6th and 13th centuries. However the drawings inside the churches closer to Ihlara valley are rather different from those in Cappadocia while others contain motives specific to
Cappadocian Style . Another important center in the region is
Güzelyurt (
Gelveri) , 15 km from
Ihlara valley with its interesting dwelling houses besides the churches carved into stone.
Ahmatlı,
Çömlekçi,
Hacı Saadet Koç/
Cafarlar,
Kalburlu/
St. Epthemios and
Yamaç churches are from the
Byzantine period while
Kömürlü and
Yalnız churches stem from the
Ottoman period. In addition to opuses from the
Byzantine period numerous opuses from the
Seljuk period are also found in the region.
