Aksaray is the western edge of Cappadocia, a province of volcanic valleys, rock-cut churches, and Silk Road monuments that most travelers rush past on the road between Ankara and the tourist centers. Its best experiences run from a canyon floor walk past a hundred churches to a vaulted caravanserai that once sheltered traders from China, with a leaning medieval minaret and a live volcano on the horizon. These are the ten things that define Aksaray, and they add up to one of the most rewarding corners of central Turkey.
1. Walk the Ihlara Valley
The Ihlara Valley is the great experience of the province: a deep canyon cut by the Melendiz River, whose walls are honeycombed with more than a hundred rock-cut churches and chapels. Walking the valley floor, past frescoed interiors, springs, and village tea gardens, is one of the finest days in central Turkey.
The walk runs between the entrance points, and you can do the full valley, visit the churches along the way, or walk a shorter section and rest at a tea garden by the water. The frescoes, many of them Byzantine, are remarkable in their color and survival.
Go early to beat the heat and the few tour groups, and carry water. The valley rewards the unhurried walker, and the scale of the rock-cut world is something you feel as much as see.
Many of the churches are locked, so check at the entrance about access, and bring a small flashlight for the darker interiors, which adds a great deal to the visit. A picnic eaten by the river, with the cliffs rising above you, is the classic way to spend the middle of the day.
2. Visit Selime Monastery
At the southern end of the valley, Selime Monastery is the largest rock-cut monastery in the Cappadocia region, a vast complex of halls, chapels, and dwellings carved into the cliffs. Its cathedral-like chamber is among the most impressive spaces in the rock-cut world.
The monastery climbs the cliff in layers, and exploring it means scrambling through chambers, tunnels, and terraces with views over the valley below. The size is staggering, and the imagination supplies the monks who lived, prayed, and stored their harvests here.
Wear sturdy shoes and take your time, because the climb is steep in places. Selime is the monument that shows what the rock-cut culture of the region could achieve at its most ambitious.
3. Explore Sultanhani Caravanserai
Sultanhani, east of the city, is one of the largest and best-preserved Seljuk caravanserais in Turkey, a vast roadside inn built in the thirteenth century to shelter the Silk Road caravans. Its fortified walls, monumental portal, and vaulted halls survive almost intact.
Inside, you walk the covered halls where traders and their animals rested, the courtyard with its raised prayer platform, and the great hall whose vaults create an acoustics of silence. The carving of the portal is among the finest Seljuk stonework anywhere.
Visit in the late afternoon, when the light warms the stone and the crowds have gone. Sultanhani is the monument that makes the Silk Road tangible, and it is the single greatest sight of the province.
The caravanserai is floodlit after dark, which gives a second, very different view of the building, and the surrounding town makes a pleasant stop for tea before the drive back. If you are following the old caravan route, the other caravanserais of the region add context to the visit.
4. See the Eğri Minare and the Ulu Cami
In the heart of Aksaray, the Eğri Minare leans beside its medieval medrese, a thirteenth-century tower that has settled at a jaunty angle over the centuries. It is the city’s emblem, and it photographs beautifully against the sky.
The Ulu Cami nearby anchors the old town, and the surrounding streets hold the everyday life of the city: shops, tea houses, and the quiet rhythm of a working Anatolian center. The monuments are modest, but they are genuinely medieval, and they set the tone for the old quarter.
Give the area an hour, visit respectfully, and let the old town show you the city behind the highway. It is the Aksaray that the valley visitors never see.
5. Discover Guzelyurt
An hour south of the city, Guzelyurt is a former Greek town of extraordinary beauty, its restored stone houses climbing a hillside above monastic valleys and rock-cut churches. It is Cappadocia’s atmosphere without Cappadocia’s crowds.
The town rewards slow walking: narrow lanes, courtyards, springs, and the silence of the valleys below. It is a place to stay as much as to visit, and the restored guesthouses of the old houses make one of the most memorable bases in the region.
Come for a morning, a day, or a night, and let the town set the pace. Guzelyurt is the face of old Anatolia, and it is the province’s most atmospheric corner.
The town’s springs and the monastic valleys around it add gentle walking to the visit, and the views from the upper streets take in the whole region, with Mount Hasan on the horizon. A night in one of the restored guesthouses, with dinner in a stone courtyard, is the best possible ending to a day in the south of the province.
6. Visit the Red Church
On the hill above Guzelyurt stands the Red Church, a small basilica built of red stone in the early Byzantine period, one of the oldest standing churches in the region. Its warm color, simple form, and hilltop setting make it one of the most photogenic monuments of the province.
The church is open to the elements, and its interior, with the light falling on the red walls, has a powerful simplicity. The views from its hilltop take in the town and the valleys, and the setting completes the picture.
Walk up from Guzelyurt in the late afternoon, when the light is kindest. The Red Church is small, ancient, and unforgettable, and it connects you to the deepest Christian past of the region.
7. Tour the Aksaray Museum
The Aksaray Museum tells the story of the province from prehistory to the Seljuk age, with collections that range from the earliest settlements of the plain to the rock-cut culture and the caravan world. It is the best place to make sense of what you see around you.
The displays include the archaeology of the region, ethnography, and the finds of the medieval period, and they are arranged to be followed easily by any visitor. Allow an hour or two to do it justice.
The museum is also a good first stop, orienting you for the valley and the caravanserais that follow. With the old town around it, it makes a fine half-day of city history.
8. See the Zinciriye Complex
In the old town, the Zinciriye complex is the finest medieval ensemble of the city, a medrese and associated buildings from the Seljuk age whose stonework and proportions anchor the historic quarter. It stands among the monuments that make Aksaray more than a crossroads.
The complex is atmospheric and quiet, and its courtyard and vaulted rooms give a real sense of the medieval city. It sits close to the Eğri Minare and the Ulu Cami, so the old town can be covered on foot in a single circuit.
Visit in the morning, when the light is clear and the tea houses are opening. The Zinciriye complex is the quiet heart of the city’s medieval past.
9. Stand in the Shadow of Mount Hasan
The double peak of Mount Hasan dominates the southern horizon of Aksaray, the volcano whose eruptions created the soft stone of the region’s valleys. It is the landmark of the province, and seeing it rise above the plain is part of the landscape’s power.
The mountain can be seen from across the province, but the drive toward its base brings you into the foothills, with villages, rock-cut settlements, and views that grow with every kilometer. At sunset, the peak turns pink and gold above the plain.
You cannot always climb it, and you should not try to, but you should give it your attention. Mount Hasan is the maker of this landscape, and standing in its shadow is an experience in itself.
10. Shop the City Market
The market of Aksaray is a working bazaar that serves the province rather than tourists, and it is the best place to meet the city on its own terms. Stalls of produce, dairy, textiles, and household goods fill the old quarter on market days.
Take your time and wander every aisle, taste what is offered, and buy what you will actually carry home: honey, cheese, spices, or the crafts of the region. The tea houses around the edges make natural stopping points.
Markets are also the best place to meet people. Sitting down for a glass with a stallholder can turn a shopping trip into the most memorable hour of your day, and the conversations are the real souvenirs.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I need in Aksaray?
Two full days covers the essentials: one for the Ihlara Valley and Selime, and one for Sultanhani, the city’s old town and museum, and Guzelyurt. Add a third day if you want to walk the full valley, stay overnight in Guzelyurt, or explore the caravanserai road in depth. Many travelers also combine Aksaray with Cappadocia’s main sights.
When is the best time to visit the valley and the caravanserais?
From April to June and September to October, when temperatures are comfortable for walking and the light is at its best. Summer works if you start early and carry water, and winter offers a dramatic, snowy alternative with far fewer visitors. The caravanserais are at their most photogenic in the late afternoon.
Can I do the main sights without a car?
Partly. The city’s old town and museum are walkable, and morning minibuses from the otogar reach Ihlara, Guzelyurt, and Sultanhani, though on schedules that limit your freedom. A car or taxi converts the province into easy day trips, and most travelers who visit the valley and the caravanserais together choose to drive.
All Over Information
The All Over Information editorial team researches and writes practical English-language guides to Turkey. Facts are checked against official and local sources before publication, prices are published as dated ranges rather than quotes, and guides are revised when things change. We accept no sponsored posts, paid placements or paid links.
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