Cappadocia
Niğde Museum houses a well-presented selection of finds from the Assyrian city of Acemhöyük near Aksaray, through the Hittite and Phrygian Ages to sculptures from Tyana (now Kemerhisar), the former Roman centre and Hittite capital 19km southwest of Niğde. There's also a collection of 10th-century mummies (four baby mummies, and the mummy of a blonde nun discovered in the 1960s in the Ihlara Valley).
From October to mid-April the museum opens at 8.30am and last tickets are at 5pm.
5.9 MILES
Some of Cappadocia's best-preserved and most captivating frescoes are hidden within this rarely visited rock-hewn monastery that was only rediscovered in…
26.78 MILES
The 4.5km Monastery Valley is full of rock-cut churches and dwellings cut into the cliff walls. Exploring it makes for a scenic stroll. From Güzelyurt's…
28.11 MILES
Derinkuyu underground city, 10km south of Kaymaklı, has cavernous rooms arrayed on seven levels reached by skinny long tunnels. When you get all the way…
28.39 MILES
Hasan Dağı (Mt Hasan), Cappadocia's second-highest mountain, provides a challenging summit-bagging hike. The closest village to the 3268m inactive volcano…
26.77 MILES
Just after the Monastery Valley ticket office, you come to the large Büyük Kilise Cami (Mosque of the Great Church), which began life as the Church of St…
29.23 MILES
This cross-shaped church has four columns, with lovely partially preserved frescoes of saints. The large adjoining chamber originally had two storeys, as…
26.78 MILES
Entry into this underground city is beside the Monastery Valley ticket office. The restored complex ranges across several levels and includes one hair…
27.34 MILES
This religious complex is perched high on a rock overlooking Güzelyurt lake, some 2km south of a signposted turn-off on the Ihlara road 1km west of…
0.16 MILES
This Ottoman-era mosque is an excellent landmark to get your bearings by in central Niğde.
0.22 MILES
This attractive medrese (seminary) dates from 1409 and has a finely carved entrance. It's utilised as a cultural centre but visitors are welcome to wander…
0.32 MILES
This tomb dates to 1312 and is one of many fine Seljuk-era tombs that dot central Niğde.
0.38 MILES
Süngür Bey Cami, on a terrace at the end of the marketplace, is a curious blend of architectural styles; it was first built by the Seljuks and restored by…
0.39 MILES
The Seljuk Alaeddin Cami (1223), on the hill crowned with the much-restored remains of Niğde's fortress, is the town's grandest mosque.
5.9 MILES
Some of Cappadocia's best-preserved and most captivating frescoes are hidden within this rarely visited rock-hewn monastery that was only rediscovered in…
24.04 MILES
Against a backdrop of stark, sweeping fields, the red masonry of the Kızıl Kilise stands out for miles. One of Cappadocia's oldest churches, it was built…
26.2 MILES
This church is next door to the Kalburlu Kilisesi in Monastery Valley. Note the entrance with its finely carved lintel and Maltese crosses.