Trekking and hiking trails in the Ihlara Valley start in places including Belisırma, which is also home to the Saint George Church. This combination of valley trails and religious architecture gives a trip to Belisırma a clear cultural and scenic focus. Along the trails starting in Belisırma, you can visit rooms and churches carved into the rock in the valley. This allows you to see hiking and church architecture as two interconnected aspects of the destination.

Hiking trails between the valley and the village

For orientation, it is important to distinguish between the starting point and the destination. In the Ihlara Valley, trails for trekking and hiking start in places including Belisırma; the hiking trail that runs along the valley, however, ends in Belisırma. Visitors finish this tour by taking the road that climbs up from the valley. The village is therefore relevant both as a starting point for trails and as the endpoint of a valley hike.

Churches and architectural features

The Saint George Church, also called the Kırkdamaltı Church, is located in Belisırma and is considered the highest-altitude church in the region. It was built by Amirarzes Basileios and his wife Tamara and decorated between 1283 and 1295.

The Direkli Church is located 50 meters north of the Bahattin Samanlığı Church and is carved into the rocks opposite Belisırma. It has a central dome, three mihrabs, a cruciform floor plan and six pillars. A mihrab is a prayer niche that marks the direction of prayer. Direkli has three such niches; the dome and pillars are other architectural elements. The cruciform floor plan describes the layout of the church, not a single architectural element.

Visitors comparing the two churches by different features will find specific construction and decoration dates for the Saint George Church, while the description of Direkli focuses on its floor plan and architectural elements.

The Ala Church is also located within the boundaries of Belisırma in the Ihlara Valley and is associated with faith and cultural tourism. Churches in the area around Belisırma feature Byzantine wall paintings, extending the cultural perspective from the village to its immediate surroundings.

The landscape of the Ihlara Valley

The Melendiz River runs through the 14-kilometer-long Ihlara Valley, cutting a gorge there that is 100 to 120 meters deep in places. It flows toward the wider valley where Belisırma is located. The landscape can thus be viewed on two scales: the deeply cut gorge along the river and the wider valley where the village lies.

Hiking season in the valley

You can hike in the Ihlara Valley at any time of year; visitor numbers peak in May. When choosing when to travel, two different considerations therefore come into play: the opportunity to hike year-round and the month with the highest visitor numbers.

Discover more destinations: Sultanhanı, Ihlara Valley, Aksaray, Harmandalı Municipality, Güzelyurt, Gültepe Village, Ortaköy

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