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Off the Beaten Path in Goreme
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Goreme Off the Beaten Path

ihlara valley - Goreme
ihlara valley
by cachaseiro
Tips and photos of unusual, out-of-the-way Goreme attractions, posted by real travelers and locals.
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The Church of St. John's
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  • Paul2001
  • By Paul2001 on June 22, 2004
  • Goreme Page by Paul2001
  • The Church of St. John's - Goreme
    The Church of St. John's
    by Paul2001
    The Church of St. John's is on the way to the Zelve Open Air Museum from Goreme. As it is just off of the main road, it is easy to visit by car but if you are like me you will probably stop by on the hike along the way to fairy chimneys. The church was carved into the rock around the 13th century. It features sum of the more interesting frescos that you are going to find in Cappadocia.

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    Agzikara Hani
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  • MalenaN
  • Updated By MalenaN on December 19, 2003
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  • Goreme Off the Beaten Path
    by MalenaN
    Along the road between Aksaray and Nevsehir there are a few caravanserais (or ruins of them).
    On the Ilhara-tour I took from Göreme we stopped at Agzikara Hani, which is the best preserved of them. It was built during the 1230s. Entering the courtyard there is a mosque. Around are the rooms for the traders and animals.

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    Avanos
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  • MalenaN
  • Updated By MalenaN on December 19, 2003
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  • Goreme Off the Beaten Path
    by MalenaN
    Avanos is a town north of Göreme, famous for its pottery. If you are going on a tour you will probably make a stop at one of the workshops.
    When I went on the Ihlara-tour from Göreme one stop was at a pottery workshop in Avanos. The pottery is handpainted and can be very nice. In the shop I visited there were different rooms depending on the cuality of the pottery. I can tell you that in the most expensive room there were many beautiful things.

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    Ihlara Valley
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  • MalenaN
  • Updated By MalenaN on December 19, 2003
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  • Goreme Off the Beaten Path
    by MalenaN
    Ihlara Valley is a 10 km long gorge, southeast of Aksaray. The valley is full of rock cut churches, but only a dozen of them are open to the public. Several of them have well preserved paintings. It is a green gorge with a stream, Melendiz Suyu, running along it. It is a nice place for trekking.

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    Churches in Ihlara Valley
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  • MalenaN
  • Updated By MalenaN on December 19, 2003
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  • Goreme Off the Beaten Path
    by MalenaN
    In many of the churches of Ihlara Valley there are well preserved old frescos, some dating from the 10th and 13th century.
    The fresco in the picture is from the first church you come to when you walk down the steps from the resthouse, close to Ihlara Village.

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    Selime Monastery
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  • MalenaN
  • Updated By MalenaN on December 19, 2003
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  • Goreme Off the Beaten Path
    by MalenaN
    North of Ihlara, cut in the rocks, is Selim Monastery. It is a complex with several rooms. The church has a gallery and you can climb some stairs to the upper gallery in one room.
    The rocks are more cone shaped here than in Göreme.
    Some people say that this place was used when making the Star Wars film, but it is not true.

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    Walking in the valley
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  • MalenaN
  • Updated By MalenaN on December 19, 2003
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  • Goreme Off the Beaten Path
    by MalenaN
    The green valley makes a nice contrast to the surronding planes and it is a perfect place for a nice walk. You can make it a full day and walk all the way between Selime Monastery to Ihlara village, while you take your time to have a look in all the chuches and stop for lunch at a restaurant by the river.
    If you, like me, visit on a daytour from Göreme you will probably make a shorter walk from Ihlara village to Belisirma and only visit one or two churches.

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    Is it "Star Wars" or not?
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  • Paul2001
  • By Paul2001 on August 21, 2004
  • Goreme Page by Paul2001
  • Is it
    Is it "Star Wars"?
    by Paul2001
    Supposedly these rocky cones were used as a backdrop for the movie, "Star Wars". Whether it is true or not, I do not know. I suspect that a second crew may have taken a couple of shots of the scenary. If you watch the film you will probably see a quick glimpse of these rocks.

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    Esentepe
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  • Kuznetsov_Sergey
  • By Kuznetsov_Sergey on October 25, 2008
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  • Esentepe - Goreme
    Esentepe
    by Kuznetsov_Sergey, 4 more photos
    This is the best panoramic viewpoint from which to see the complete view of Goreme valley and Goreme village: fairy chimneys, rock formations and cave houses. Goreme means "can’t see", but this is the one place where you can "see" it all! The village is full of fairy chimneys, some of which have been converted into homes by cutting caves out of the soft volcanic rock.
    Unfortunately we didn’t make a stop here and saw Esentepe only out of a bus’ window…

    You may watch my high resolution photo of Goreme Valley on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 38° 38' 20.39" N 34° 50' 13.21" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Esentepe.

    You may watch my 1 min 31 sec VIDEO-Clip Goreme Part IV with Turkish music out of my Youtube channel.

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    Walking along the Kiliclar Valley
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  • Kuznetsov_Sergey
  • Updated By Kuznetsov_Sergey on October 25, 2008
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  • Goreme Museum and Kiliklar Valley map - Goreme
    Goreme Museum and Kiliklar
    Valley map
    by Kuznetsov_Sergey
    Ask in the tourist office for a map of the area with suggested walks and trails. There are several nice loops on packed dirt, sand and rock, that maintain a constant elevation and pass through the scenic valleys.
    If I had more time I would take an advantage of this opportunity!

    You may watch my 1 min 31 sec VIDEO-Clip Goreme Part IV with Turkish music.

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