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.
Very interesting site and offers wonderful views at the top. we enjoyed the climb although it is not as accessible as the Goreme open air museum we love this site for its natural beauty.
The Monastery has great views of the surrounding area, is fun to explore, and is definitely worth visiting. One of the highlights of my trip to Cappadocia.
It is amazing how a big rock with 1000 years could be home to a christian comunity, very well conserved and the best experience
Can't leave cappadocia without visiting this place
It is huge mountain with a lot of curved rooms, church, stairs and unique rock formation
we had really so much fun hiking, climbing and see this ancient, fascinating place
This is a monastery complex of cave rooms, chapels, classrooms but what I really enjoyed was the exploration of the structure. Just climbing up and down, in and out the amazing caves, reminded me when I was a kid, exploring the nooks and crannies and having a great time.
huge cathedral never seen like that place view beatifuul of top
It is a monastery complex carved into the rock. Similar in some ways to Meteora with its location into the rock, though from what I could see was not at all built up. Apparently built in the 13th century, they carved into the rock and used it like that. The monastery is in a region called Guzelyurt, which is just about the coolest name I saw in our two weeks in Turkey.
Unique architecture. Couldn't have enough of photo-taking and time to appreciate every corner of it. May be slightly slippery and steep to climb at certain areas.
Although this is not a very highly rated attraction, it gives you a good insight into the life of monks. And the climb and scrambling up rock dwellings gives you feeling of a good safe adventure. The views from the chapel and monastery is also very good.
We arrived late in the afternoon just as the sun was changing the colour of the rock to a soft orange. The photographs from this deserted structure were amazing with some of the caves and the huge exterior beautifully lit.
Just before we climbed the unmarked route, a tourist bus was departing and some told us they considered the area…