After our visit to Kaymakli, we walked part of the Ihlara Valley. We entered the park through
entrance 1, payed our 8 Lira fee and started our descent down the
stairs to the river. The trail in
itself is fairly easy, wide and almost flat. But what makes it
challenging and interesting is to visit all the rock carved churches.
For each and every one of them we had to climb an impressive fight of
stairs, when multiplied by the quantity of churches it amounts to a
good workout! We started our walk on the west side of the river, visiting Kokar
church and Purenliseki church.
When
we arrived at the second entrance, there were many groups starting their hike so
we decided to skip the churches in that area and keep them for our way back. We
visited St. George church and then decided to turn around as we
didn't really feel the need to go to Belisirma village to see mostly restaurants. We made our way back to the second entrance, this time crossing the bridge to visit Serpent church, Dark Castle Church and
Egritas Church.
It was very interesting to see the frescoes that
remain in the churches. They also have different styles, some with columns others simpler rectangles. After our adventures in Ihlara
Valley, we got back in the rental car for a short drive to Selime Cathedral. The
Cathedral was also built in the rocks and there are many rooms to
explore. It looked different than Ihlara churches mainly because of the size and the rock type.
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| Kokar Church |
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| Purenliseki Church |
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| St. George Church |
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| Yilanli Church |
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| Dark Castle Church |
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| Egritas Church |
Here are a few pictures of Selima Cathedral:
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