Soganli Valley & Rock Monastery ( Blue ) Tour

ITINERARY

You will be picked up from your hotel between 9:30 and 10:00 am to embark on a full-day tour. Our first destination is the Kaymaklı Underground City, an intricate labyrinth of tunnels and numerous chambers carved eight levels deep beneath the Earth. However, only four of these levels are accessible to the public. The history of this underground city dates back to the Hittite and Phrygian periods, and it evolved over the centuries. The dwellings we explore today were meticulously carved by early Christians during the 9th and 10th centuries to safeguard themselves from invaders who ventured into Central Anatolia in pursuit of captives and plunder.

Our journey continues to Soganli Valley, where you will encounter numerous caves and stone rooms located above the town center. These caves and rooms served as the ancient village site. The local inhabitants crafted their homes by carving chambers into the hillside, utilizing quarried stones to construct masonry rooms in the front.

We’ll have break for a delightful local lunch before heading to Sinasos Village, also known as Mustafapasa. This village, once inhabited by wealthy Greek merchants and Ottomans, features stylish stone mansions. However, the village’s residents were compelled to leave during the population exchange of 1923. Our next destination is Taskinpasa Village, a charming and traditional village distinguished by its exquisite, whitewashed stone houses adorned with distinctive carvings around the windows. This village boasts some of the finest examples of Seljuk architecture in the region. Before concluding our tour, we will visit the Sobessos Ancient City, a recently unearthed Roman archaeological site.

Our final stop is the Keslik Monastery, a cave monastery complex featuring two churches, namely St. Michael and St. Stephen. This site also encompasses a spacious refectory hall, a sacred spring, and an array of cave rooms.

The tour is expected to conclude around 5:00-5:30 pm, and you will be comfortably transported back to your hotel.