In old sources, its name appears as Peristremma. The list of places to visit in the Ihlara Valley consists mostly of churches. It holds an important place among the canyons of the world, and there are hundreds of churches here. A few of these churches are also open to visitors. The greatest feature setting the Ihlara Valley apart from other valleys is that it was the largest valley inhabited by people in ancient times. The Melendiz River also flows through it. The valley’s magnificent nature is one of its most striking features. It boasts a lush, magnificent expanse of vineyards and gardens.
Ağaçaltı Church
We could call this the number-one must-see among the places to visit in the Ihlara Valley. It serves as the church closest to the valley entrance. For this reason, it is the most visited church in this area of the valley.
Entry to the church is from the second floor, because its main entrance has been buried underground. As for why it is named Ağaçaltı (“under the tree”), according to one account, in olden times the church was entered through the branches of a tree. Another source says it was called Saint Daniel, based on the fresco of the Prophet Daniel among the lions. According to an inscription inside the church, it is also said to have been known as the Pantanassa Church.
The most remarkable point about the church, however, is that the lion frescoes painted on its walls are not characteristic of Christian art, but rather of Persia.
The frescoes here have been dated to the 9th-11th centuries. An inscription in the church emphasises that the Virgin Mary is the “Queen of the Heavens”.
Sümbüllü Church
It takes its name from the hyacinths (sümbül) that grow in the area. It is entered through a narrow window. Built on two storeys into a great rock, the church is estimated to date from the 11th-12th centuries. As in all the other churches, there are many frescoes in the Sümbüllü Church.
Kokar Church
As far as is known, the church dates back to the 9th century and is one of the oldest churches in the Ihlara Valley. Research has revealed that the frescoes found here were painted in the second half of the 11th century.
Inside, there are two burial chambers, and the decorations in these chambers were done in red paint.
Pürenliseki Church
The church takes its name from the heather-like herbs called püren that grow in the Ihlara Valley. Apart from having frescoes in dark colours, it also displays a primitive style.
It is estimated to have been built between the 10th and 12th centuries.
Eğritaş Church
This is another of the oldest churches in the Ihlara Valley. It was built at the end of the 9th century and the beginning of the 10th.
Compared with the other churches in the valley, it has the largest sanctuary and cemetery in the area. It consists of two storeys; on the lower floor there is an area where funeral ceremonies were held.
Saint Georgeus (Kırkdamaltı) Church
It was built between 1283 and 1295. In addition to many stories taken from the Bible, the Seljuk Sultan Mesud II is also depicted in the church. The reason for this is the support Sultan Mesud II gave to the building of the church.
Likewise, there are six burial chambers beneath the church.
Karagedik Church
Known to the old Greeks as the Church of Saint Ermolaos, this is a large church built in the 11th century. It sits on a hill covered with grass. Sadly, the church has been badly battered; apart from the roof and the north walls, almost the entire church has collapsed.
Ala Church
This church, whose construction dates to the 11th century, was built with a single dome. Most of the frescoes inside the church have been destroyed. Even the frescoes whose stories researchers were able to decipher darkened after a while and gradually faded away.
Bezirhane Church
The Bezirhane Church, which has not been able to carry its beauty fully into the present day, stands next to the Ala Church. The church was used for producing linseed oil, and because of the soot from the flax and hedge mustard herbs boiled inside it, the frescoes in the church have unfortunately not survived to the present day.
Bahattin Samanlığı Church
The frescoes in this church were painted at the end of the 10th century and the beginning of the 11th. Unlike the frescoes of the Ala Church and the Bezirhane Church, they did not perish and have survived to the present day.
In olden times, a villager named Bahattin who lived here used the church as a hayloft (samanlık). This is where the church gets its name.
Batkın Church (Açıkel Ağa Church)
Although the church is known to date from the 8th century, only a single ruin of it has survived to the present day.
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