Zelve Open Air Museum

The Zelve Valley is now the Zelve Open Air Museum. It is one of the oldest-settled and most abandoned monastic valleys in Cappadocia.

Although its churches aren't as numerous or as impressive than those at the Goreme Open Air Museum, Zelve offers its own attractions. The topography of Zelve is more dramatic with crags, pinnacles, steep valleys and steep peaks. There's also more freedom to climb around and take in all the nooks and crevices.

Zelve's best feature is its three valleys. Two of them are connected by tunnels and contain abandoned homes and churches. Zelve, unlike Goreme which is contained within a small area, offers 1,5 km of sightseeing. From the 9th to 13th centuries, it was a monastery retreat where Christians escaped from the Persian and Arab invasions. Zelve's sinewy valley walls and rock antennae are stunningly picturesque and a great place for people-watching.

It contains many rooms and passages. The complex also houses pointed fairy chimneys with large stems at approximately 12 m (40 ft) above the valley floor. The monastery was home to Cappadocia’s first seminaries that trained priests. The Direkli Church (Columned Church) dates back to the early years in Zelve's monastery life. Direkli Church can be found at the base of the slope. The main decorations are iconoclastic-doctrine high relief crosses and no ornaments except a few red patterns. You will also find the Balikli Kilise, Uzumlu Kilise and Geyikli Kilise churches. These churches date back to the pre-Iconoclastic era.