The rock monastery of Selime situated 28 km from Aksaray, Selime is a town that was established at the end of the Ihlara Valley. Selime Monastery is one of the largest religious buildings in Cappadocia, with a cathedral-size church. Inside the cathedral there are two rows of rock columns, these columns divide the cathedral into three sections. The size of the church is astonishing. The columns and arches of the church, cut directly from the tuff within the Selime monastery, still bear the tell-tale markings of various generations that once occupied it. Rudimentary icons from the early days can be seen more clearly, but detailed frescoes, painted later, are barely visible under the years of soot that covers the surfaces from when the Turks used the room for cooking, it also contains monks’ quarters, a large kitchen and even a stable for mules. The walls of the chambers were at one time adorned with frescoes but little of these remain. From the road there is a short but challenging climb up a steep and slippery hill to the monastery.
On the way up to the monastery, first you go through a tunnel-like corridor, which was part of the caravan path on which camels walked, the camel caravans came for a stopover as there was a large bazaar there, and for protection, camels were led to the central part of the monastery.
The top section has a fortress-like structure, the walls and trenches of which are still visible today. It also includes some secret passageways, a series of twisting, ever-steeper rock stairway-ladders. If you are adventurous enough, you can follow them, but the climb down can be a bit nerve-wracking but definitely worth the views. The monastery also has a courtyard, this was the section where important religious and military meetings were held.
Situated across the road from Selime monastery, surrounded by a cemetery, Selime Sultan Turbesi is another stop for visitors. It is a rare example of its type in Anatolia, as it is conical with an octagonal base. From the architectural style and materials used it most probably dates from the 13th century A.D.
Turkey is proving to have some of the coolest sights in the world. Climbing up the narrow rock trail and through the rock caves to get to the church is an experience in itself, from the mountain you can get a great view of the surrounding landscape that many say resembles a scene from a Star Wars movie. The landscape all over is so unique that may surprised you to discover no major movies had been filmed there. It would be the perfect setting for a Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter movie.
Selime is for the true adventurers (check out the other review from someone who is not an explorer-type… they hated it). You can climb through seemingly endless tunnels well beyond where you think the authorities should reasonably let you climb (awesome!!!). Of particular interest is the secret passage in the back-left in the two-story church (that's right, two-story church, complete…
Impressive rock formation! You should come here early in the morning to avoid groups and high summer temperature! Peaceful place! Convenient shoes!!
Though these caves are interesting to explore and there are wonderful views to be had at the top, we thought the climb both up..
This was part of our south Cappadocia tour. Like the previous reviewers stated, the climb up was steep and hazardous. You'll need to be extra cautious. But when you get to the top you'll appreciate the view. There was a church, dormitory, school, kitchens, and watch tower at the top. Take a torch with you as some of the areas…
There was amazing historical site. The resident of ancient people digged cave and made amazing living site, school, church, kitchen, etc. This action was great work, I think. But there was too dangerous to climb, so I saw someone hurt. As attaction, I think there need safety facility.
this place isn't as crowded as some other cappadocian attractions, so the time to visit is NOW because every year the number of tourists coming here increases, and at some point, i'm afraid, they'll have to close off most of the place from the public like they did in the open air museum in goreme.nyou can actually climb through…
It was simply great to walk around the historical places, especially in such unusual, and incredible nature, to see the dedication, devotion and perseverance of early Christian monks.
Beatiful place, lots of formations to admire and paths to explore. beaware you have to be very careful in some areas as there are no handrails. This site is usually included in tours leaving Goreme but you'd better do it by your own.
Firstly, as far as cave churches go, Selime is by far the most impressive setting and well worth the entrance fee to explore.
The main attraction though is what is thought to have been the inspiration for The Star Wars set, which although on a neighbouring hill, is best photographed from the monastery.
The Selimay Monastery is one the least crowded of Cappadocia's attractions as it is slightly off the beaten track. It is interesting to explore the cave monastery. There are also wonderful views of the surrounding countryside