VALLEY OF SOĢANLI

At the entrance, the ladies will offer you dolls and other souvenirs (woolen socks and slippers for the winter, extra!) They are adorable and we are far from the solicitations in the ultra tourist places. The children of the village will not fail to offer their assistance, but here the route is simple and the churches well indicated.

Visit Soğanlı, it is splendid! And the landscape changes a bit from the center of Cappadocia. The tour goes along the banks. You start from the right bank up to the snake church where you cross over to go down the other side and back to the village. The most remarkable churches are, following the direction of the visit: Karabaş Kilise ("Church of the Black Head") from the ^11th century, part of a monastery with some frescoes; Yılanlı Kilise ("Church with the Snake") name given because of one of the frescoes of St. George slaying a dragon, many outbuildings and nooks and crannies all over. As you change banks, you come across Kubbeli Kilise ("the church with the dome"): dating from the ^10th century, it is very remarkable for the architecture of its dome carved directly into the cone. Right next to it stands Saklı Kilise ("the hidden church"), which has no frescoes but a vast basilica and many tunnels. Then comes Tahtalı Kilise ("Church of St. Barbara") to the west of the village, with its well-preserved frescoes and Geyikli Kilise ("Deer Church") particular for its iconostasis. They date from the ^11th and ^13th centuries.