Aksaray
Ihlara Valley is a canyon in Güzelyurt district, Aksaray province, on the south-western edge of Cappadocia. The Melendiz stream cut it into volcanic rock from Mount Hasan. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism it is 14 km long and up to 120 m deep. In the early Christian period it was a religious centre, with churches and monasteries carved into the rock.
Ağaçaltı Church, also called Daniel Pantonassa, has frescoes from the 9th to 11th centuries, among them Daniel among the lions. Kırkdamaltı Church (St George) at Belisırma village was painted between 1283 and 1295. A footpath follows the stream along the valley floor.
The main ticketed entrance, Gate 2, is on Vadi Caddesi in Ihlara town. Reaching the valley floor means going down stairs: the best-known stairway has nearly 400 steps, and you climb them again on the way out. Check current opening hours before you go.