IHLARA VALLEY
The Ihlara valley is a nice place to see. It is removed a little from the rest of the Cappadocian sites. It can be a little tricky to get to, but it's worth a full day if you can spare one. Especially, it is best to see the underground city Saklıkent firstly for the ones coming from Cappodicia to see the Ihlara Valley.
The gorge is 16 km long and both sides are lined with rock carved churches, about 100 in all. You can look at the more important of these in a couple of hours but it is very pleasant to spend an afternoon following the river down the valley and exploring on your own.
The climb down to and especially up from the gorge can be demanding and probably should not be attempted if you're feeling frail. To make the most of your time here a full day and a picnic is a good idea and will repay the effort in terms of a relaxed days pottering about admiring the churches and the valley's beautiful scenery.
What is unique about this valley is the ancient history of its inhabitants. The whole canyon is honeycombed with rock-cut underground dwellings and churches from the Byzantine period. Due to the richness of the watering possibility and its hidden form, it was the first settlement place of the first Christians escaping from the Roman soldiers. In the Ihlara Valley there are hundreds of archaic churches caved in the volcanic rocks. The most known churches are Agacalti Church with cross plan, Sümbüllü Church, Pürenliseki Church, Kokar Church, Yilanli Church, Karagedik Church, Kirkdamatli Church, Direkli Church, Ala Church, Kemerli Church and Egritas Church.
Bu haber 19/05/2010 tarihinde eklenmiştir.
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