Route of the Ihlara Valley
Route of the Ihlara Valley
Ihlara Valley, which has the distinction of being the largest canyon in which humans have ever lived, is a municipality in the Güzelyurt district of Aksaray.
The Ihlara Valley, which is 18 kilometers long, with an average depth of 150 meters and a width of 200 meters, is different from other canyons in that it was once home to thousands of life forms as well as humans. As the canyon rises around the Melendiz River, hundreds of houses and churches carved into the rocks show us that this was once an important settlement center. The Ihlara Valley, which descends 397 steps, is mostly visited as part of organized tours to Cappadocia, but there are also many in-person visitors. The total length of the valley is 14 kilometers, and the hiking area is about 6 kilometers. You have to spend at least five hours to really explore the valley. One thing you should be aware of is that in order to protect the churches, photography is prohibited. So you can take a lot of pictures from outside the valley and live the moment inside the valley!