Tucked away out of sight off the main road from Avanos to Goreme, Zelve was until 1952 a living community where ordinary people went about their daily life, grinding bulgur at the seten (mill), pressing grapes for pekmez (molasses) in the şaraphane (winery), rearing pigeons for their fertilizing manure in the güvercinliks (pigeonhouses) and bedding their animals down for the night in the cave-cut ahırs (stables). In that sense it was always a very different place from what is now the Göreme Open-Air Museum, which was a religious settlement inhabited by Byzantine monks and nuns, and was only unofficially lived in in later years after the population moved down the road to what eventually became Göreme village.
A newly laid path winds its way through the three valleys of Zelve with signs pointing out the otherwise easily missable evidence of the old lifestyle hidden away inside the caves. Don’t miss the millstone that would once have been turned by donkeys, nor yet the winery with a large niche in which the grapes would have been trodden, a hole in the corner allowing the juice to drain into jars set up beside it.
Zelve was not without its monastic community, which is thought to have lived in the area marked by three huge arched recesses in the third valley. They are currently roped off for safety reasons, which means, sadly, that you won’t be able to inspect one of the huge rolling stones that used to be used to close off tunnels from intruders as in the underground cities. The recesses overlook what used to be Zelve’s main square. Not surprisingly this has a small mosque to one side. From the outside this looks as if it was built conventionally out of locally quarried stone but if you peek inside you’ll see that the back part is cut straight out of the rock, as is the dainty little mihrab.
For those keen on seeing some of Cappadocia famous rock-cut churches, Zelve has a few tricks up its sleeve, including the Balıklı ve Üzümlü Kilise (The Church of the Fish and Grapes) in the first valley and easily recognizable by the damaged frescoes of angels over its entrance. Inside the grapes look suspiciously like giant strawberries, and the fish keep a very low profile. The same cannot be said of the prominent carved and painted crosses on the walls of the Kutsal Haç Kilisesi (Holy Cross Church) in the second valley. Finally, in the third valley the Direkli Kilise (Columned Church) has largely collapsed so that it looks more like a cave than a church.
For children, Zelve will seem like one giant adventure playground with endless holes to pop in and out of and lots of space in which to run around. Of course there’s still some risk from rockfall as attested by a pile of recently tumbled boulders in the third valley. What was once a dark and scary tunnel that ran from the third valley into the second, emerging abruptly on a ledge, has also been closed, presumably for safety reasons.
The clues to an all but lost way of life at Zelve may be intriguing, but many people will probably come away with just as vivid a memory of the site’s peaceful beauty with knobbly rock formations topping the steep sides of the valleys and great views opening out towards Avanos from on high.
Churches of Zelve, Cappadocia
- Columned Church (Direkli Kilise)
- Holy Cross Church (Kutsal Haç Kilisesi)
- Deer church (Geyikli Kilise)
- Church of the Fish ( Balikli Kilise)
- Church of the Grapes (Uzumlu Kilise)
Zelve definitely offers less "attractions" than the Goreme Open Air Museum (smaller, fewer churches etc, no audioguides etc) but there are no crowds and tour groups and you have the freedom to stroll around and climb on the rocks at your leisure. It is 4 km away from Goreme, a fairly easy bike ride away.
Not to be missed! Just as beautiful as other sites in Cappadocia and worth visiting. We had a wonderful tour guide who explained everything to us and that makes a big difference. Some structures are falling apart due to the erosion, but there is still a lot of beauty to be enjoyed!
This is a really cool place to visit. Make sure you ask for the free map when you buy your ticket. The tunnel is closed that connects the 2nd & 3rd valleys, but it's still a great place to walk around.
We took the publicd bus there which runs roughly 15 minutes after the hour every two hours (odd hours). to and from the town of Goereme. Return buses go at 1115 am, 1315pm, and 1715pm (last one). There are sime great cave dwellings and churches to be seen in a village that was inhabited until 1952.
Well worth a visit and better later in the day when the tour buses have left. However at 3.45pm they took our money first THEN told us they were closing early at 4.15 (instead of the advertised 5pm). Beware!
Incredible rock formations…probably theour favourites in Cappadocia. Probably best to get here early or late or not on a weekend.
This is a lot like the Goreme open air museum, but less spectacular. It is less-crowded, however. The other interesting thing is that these cave dwellings and buildings were actually used until the 1950s. Pretty wild! The staff was really nice. Based on what we saw, most tour groups only went back about halfway, but there is more to see…
supposedly bar scene from Star Wars based on this park. It is away from the crowds, but not out of the way to get here. Worth exploring, very scenic.
Our guide took us here during our north Cappadocia tour. We didn't explore the area by foot. We were just taken there for picture opportunities. The view was spectacular. We could see the Rose Valley in the distance. The only other place we were able to see the Rose Valley was on our hot air balloon flight.
interesting, self guided walk around a cave village. Interesting churches, mosques, dwellings. Also beautiful. Can do it in 1-2 hours. Less crowded by far than Goreme.