Day 4

This was a big day: We started with a visit of the Agzikarahan (caravanserai), then a walk up through the Selime Monasery, lunch in Belisirma and a walk in the lovely Ihlara Valley, a brief stop in G�zelyurt and a descent into the Deinkuyu underground city.
Cappadocia The town of Uçhisar and its "castle" Cappadocia Driving through Nevşehir, we were impressed by all the apartments being built all over. Cappadocia Cappadocia is framed on the east by Mount Erciyes and on the west by Mount Hasan 32353m), which is faintly visible across the fields. Cappadocia The Agzikarahan (a caravanserai) near Akseray dates from the 13th century.
Cappadocia Gate into the Agzikarahan Cappadocia Arches in the Agzikarahan Cappadocia Arches in the Agzikarahan Cappadocia The huge hall is open to the sky, probably where a dome once was.
Cappadocia We never understood what this huge cathedral-like building in the han was, but it is big and impressive. Cappadocia Small mosque in the middle of the han Cappadocia A bird in the han is worth two ... oh, well Cappadocia Mount Hasan is a former volcano.
Cappadocia Mountain Hasan (3253m) rises in the east of Cappadocia. Cappadocia The road to Selime never loses the view of Mount Hasan. Cappadocia The Selime Monastery dates from the 6th century. Cappadocia The monastery is carved out of a number of rock cones.
Cappadocia` You have to climb some to get up to the monastery chambers. Cappadocia What fraction of these holes were eroded? Cappadocia Going up, the path is sometimes quite narrow. Cappadocia The path leads through the rock.
Cappadocia A room in the monastery Cappadocia Still going up Cappadocia Siv looking up from strangely eroded rocks Cappadocia The monastery
Cappadocia The monastery Cappadocia This hall is probablly the refectory, whatever that may be... Cappadocia Mount Hasan still looming over the fields Cappadocia The Ihlara Valley is hidden between steep cliffs south of Belisirma
Cappadocia Restaurants in Belisirma have dining "rooms" built next to or even over the water of the Melendiz River Cappadocia We did not want the table without a rail. Cappadocia Boys wading in the shallow river Cappadocia Casting his net
Cappadocia Old man in Belisirma Cappadocia The plan of the Ihlara Valley, what else? Cappadocia The path in the Ihlara Valley follows the river between the over-100m-high cliffs on either side. Cappadocia Swallows flying over the bank
Cappadocia The cliffs above the valley are riddled with carved-out caves. Cappadocia Cliffs and river Cappadocia On up the path Cappadocia Rather spectacular
Cappadocia River, path and rocks Cappadocia Walking up to the Kirkdamalti Kilisesi (St George Church) Cappadocia Carved-out church entrances Cappadocia View of the cliffs next to the Kirkdamalti Kilisesi
Cappadocia The state of the wall paintings is astoundingly good anyway Cappadocia View from the Kirkdamalti Kilisesi Cappadocia Inside, the more easily reached portraits all have the faces destroyed, probably because of Muslim restrictions against portraits. Cappadocia In Turkey, donkeys have priority over motor vehicules such as tourist buses.
Cappadocia At its southern extremiey the Ihlara Valley seems to have been gouged out of the earth. Cappadocia The former Greek church of St Gregory of Naziance (4th c.), in the old part of the town of Güzelyurt, has been converted into a mosque. Cappadocia Old houses abandoned when the Greek residents left in an exchange with Turks from Greece after WWI Cappadocia Old arch in Güzelyurt
Cappadocia Old street and decorated archway -- all abandoned tk12 060315411 s aa Pretty, abandoned street Cappadocia St Gregory Church in Güzelyurt Cappadocia Inside the church, now a mosque
Cappadocia Old Greek Christian gravestones Cappadocia Church facade, restored in the 19th c. Cappadocia Beautiful Turkish landscape Cappadocia Beautiful Turkish landscape
Cappadocia The underground city of Derinkuyu. Cappadocian underground cities may have originally been dug by the Hittites, but were certainly occupied by -700. Cappadocia Another underground room in Derinkuyu Cappadocia Derinkuyu is a maze of rooms and tunnels on all sorts of levels. Cappadocia One wall of the knave of the church is amazingly thin.
Cappadocia You had to bend over double in order to get through this tunnel, which was only about a meter high. After that, John had had enough and we left by the shortest (and largest) route. Cappadocia Himself is getting somewhat eroded-looking too. Cappadocia Amazingly eroded rocks near Uçhisar Cappadocia Meanwhile, back wherefrom we started this morning, the other side of the Uçhisar "castle"
Cappadocia View from the Göreme Panorama, a tourist trap, but one with quite a nice view over the city Cappadocia Göreme in the distance Cappadocia Close-up showing the mosque and, to the right, the Arch Palace Hotel