Guzelyurt Valley Monastery, Güzelyurt, Aksaray, Turkey
The 4.5km Monastery Valley is full of rock-cut churches and dwellings cut into the cliff walls. It’s a lovely place for a stroll and panoramic viewpoints abound. From Güzelyurt’s main square, take the signposted right-hand turn and follow the street down about 400m to the ticket booth.
Right beside the ticket office is Güzelyurt Underground City. The restored complex ranges across several levels and includes one hair-raising section where you descend through a hole in the floor.
The impressive facade of the Büyük Kilise Camii is the first major building after the ticket office. Built as the Church of St Gregory of Nazianzus in AD 385, it was restored in 1835 and turned into a mosque following the population exchange in 1924. St Gregory (330–90) grew up locally and became a theologian, patriarch and one of the four Fathers of the Greek Church. Check out the wooden sermon desk that was reputedly a gift from a Russian tsar.
Epic Turkey Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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