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The Ihlara Valley (Ihlara Vadisi) is a canyon in the southwest part of Cappadocia in Turkey. It contains a wealth of rock-cut churches.
Features
The Ihlara Valley is 15 kilometers long and up to 150 meters deep. It was formed by the Melendiz River. The valley was settled in the 7th century by Byzantine monks who dug their houses and churches out of tuff stone deposited by volcanic eruptions from Mount Hasan (Hasan Dağı). There are about 50 rock-cut churches in the valley along with several dwellings.
Visiting
The Ihlara Valley is open daily from 8:30am to 7pm. Admission is 330₺ (as of August 2023). It’s a very easy hike and there are tea gardens within the canyon if you need a snack along the way. My visit was part of a fully guided tour of Cappadocia. We only walked about 2 ¼ kilometers but spent almost three hours there. The hike started near the village of Ihlara and ended at the village of Belisırma.
Entering the Valley
I started by walking down the 400 steps from an access point north of the village of Ihlara. It was a beautiful time of year to enter the valley, with the leaves changing on some of the trees.
Ağaçaltı Church
Near the access point is the Church of Daniel Pantanassa. In Turkish it’s called the Ağaçaltı Church (Ağaçaltı Kilisesi), which translates to the Church under the Tree. It’s one of the two most spectacular rock-cut churches in the Ihlara Valley.
The church is on a cross-dome plan and may date back to the 7th century AD. The frescoes pre-date Byzantine Iconoclasm.
The copula contains a depiction of the Ascension. Other frescoes represent scenes such as the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Adoration of the Three Magi, the Flight into Egypt, the Holy Baptism, and the Dormition of the Virgin.
There are two groups of churches in the Ihlara Valley. Those nearest Ihlara are decorated in a Cappadocian style with influences from Persia and Syria. They mostly pre-date Iconoclasm. The churches nearest Belisırma are decorated in a Byzantine style and date between the 10th and 11th centuries.
Hiking near the River
Unfortunately, the Ağaçaltı Church was the only church open on the day of my visit. I still enjoyed the hike, which continued for a stretch along the Melendiz River.
My guide, Fatih, pointed out a few interesting rock formations as well as some lesser-known rock-cut churches along the way.
Diker Aile Çay Bahçesi
For a short break, we stopped at the Diker Aile Çay Bahçesi. It’s a tea garden that actually sits on a few small islands in the middle of the river. I enjoyed an apple tea and watched the ducks play in the river before moving on.
Continuing the Hike
Next, we continued along the river while Fatih pointed out more rock dwellings as well as pigeon homes carved into the cliffside.
The pigeon homes were carved by monks to collect pigeon droppings. The droppings were used for fertilizer. Pigeons were also a source of food.
Belisırma River Restaurant
At the end of the hike, we stopped for another tea at the Belisırma River Restaurant. It features huts sitting on the river on wooden structures.
