Selime Cathedral and Rock Monastery

Selime Cathedral is part of a large monastery complex carved into the tuff cliffs above Selime village in the Güzelyurt district of Aksaray. Standing at the northern mouth of Ihlara Valley, it is described as one of the largest religious buildings in Cappadocia.

Open to visitors as a site of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the complex includes a cathedral divided into three aisles by two rows of columns, a kitchen, stables, courtyards and living quarters. In the village below stands the Seljuk-period Tomb of Selime Sultan.

History

From the 7th century Ihlara Valley was settled by Byzantine monks who carved homes and churches into the soft tuff laid down by the eruptions of Mount Hasan. Selime sits where the valley, running north-west from Ihlara, opens onto the plain — a strategic spot.

The rock-cut cathedral and the buildings around it are dated to the Middle Byzantine period. The scale of the complex and its practical rooms such as kitchens and stables suggest that it was not just a place of worship but a centre for a sizeable community and for travellers passing through the valley.

Architecture and what to see

The complex spreads across several levels of the slope, with rooms, tunnels and courtyards, some reached by rock-cut steps and narrow passages.

The cathedral

The cathedral that gives the complex its name is a rock-cut basilica divided into three aisles by two rows of columns. Traces of frescoes survive here and there on the ceiling and walls.

Kitchen, stables and living quarters

A kitchen with a tall, chimney-like ceiling and a stable with carved mangers show the everyday side of monastic life. The upper rooms look out over the valley as it opens onto the plain.

Tomb of Selime Sultan

In the village, the Tomb of Selime Sultan is a local example of the Seljuk tomb-tower tradition and shares the village’s name. The rock-cut Church of the Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana Kilisesi) near the cathedral can be added to the same visit.

Getting there from Neva Apart

Neva Apart is in Aksaray city centre, a few minutes’ walk from the Zinciriye Madrasa and the Grand Mosque; the distances below are measured from our aparthotel.

Selime is on the Aksaray–Ihlara road, about 37 km from Neva Apart — a 35–40-minute drive. It is the natural finishing point for walkers who end the Ihlara Valley trail in the north, and Yaprakhisar and Aşıklı Höyük are on the way back.

Tips for your visit

Wear shoes with good grip to climb to the upper levels; some steps are high and have no railings. In summer go early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the midday heat.

Opening hours and admission fees change seasonally; please check the official sources of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism (muze.gov.tr, kulturportali.gov.tr) before you set off.

To discover the other churches of the valley, read our guide to the churches of Ihlara Valley.

Other places nearby

• Yaprakhisar Fairy Chimneys – At the northern end of Ihlara Valley between Selime and Belisırma, tuff cones with rock-cut rooms and a quiet Cappadocian village on the Melendiz.
• Ihlara Valley – A 14 km canyon carved by the Melendiz River into the tuff of Mount Hasan, with frescoed rock-cut churches, a green valley floor and Aksaray’s best-known hiking trail.
• Belisırma Village and Riverside Restaurants – Halfway along Ihlara Valley, with riverside restaurants on the Melendiz, rock-cut churches and a name it has carried since 1476 — the hikers’ rest stop.
• Aşıklı Höyük – Central Anatolia’s first known village, lived in by 30–35 generations between 8200 and 7400 BC: early farming, terraced mud-brick houses and the earliest known brain surgery.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Güzelyurt
• Wikipedia – Ihlara Valley

Image credits

• General view of the rock-cut monastery known as Selime Cathedral – Tevfik Teker, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
• Rock-cut rooms and passages inside Selime Monastery – Jose Huwaidi, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
• Fairy chimneys and monastery cliffs above Selime village – Kharkil, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons