Ihlara Tour

Información

The day begins with a visit to Derinkuyu Underground City (approximately 85 m deep); it was used to hide Christians during enemy attacks between the 5th and 10th centuries and has 16 floors, 8 of which can be visited today and was built around the 4th century BC.

Our next stop is Nar (or Pomegranate) Lake; a volcanic crater about 12 km northwest of Nazianzus. The next destination is the town of Güzelyurt which was populated predominantly by ethnic Greeks from ancient times. Their Church of St Gregory of Nazianzus was first built on this spot in 385 AD, though the current building dates from 1896 and once the Christians left it was converted to a mosque.

Güzelyurt is not far from the fascinating Ihlara Valley; a 16km long gorge carved out by the Melendiz river and the eruptions of Mount Erciyes volcano. Due to the valley's plentiful supply of water and hiding places the valley was settled by early Christians escaping from persecution by the Romans. You'll be able to admire hundreds of old churches cut into the living rock. After a walk along the valley floor, following the course of the Melendiz River, we'll have lunch at the nearby settlement of Belisirma before visiting the sprawling Selime Monastery, carved out of the rock by Christian monks in the 13th Century.

This tour finishes off with a visit to Selime Monastery, one of the biggest in Cappadocia. Cut into soft, tuff rocks, it contains many caves and is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Then it is a return to Uchisar where we can admire the sunset from the area around the castle.

Tour includes: Air-conditioned luxury mini-van equipped with media players
Experienced tour driver
Professional guiding services
Parking

Meeting/pick-up point: Hotel pick up.
Start/opening time: 9am.
End/closing time: 4pm.
Languages: English. Other languages available on request.