The Kaymakli Underground City was excavated by the Hittites about 3500 years ago. It’s the first stop on the second day of a private tour of the area around the city of Cappadocia. This multi-level underground city was used by early Christians as a main shelter from marauding enemies during the 6th and 7th centuries. Kaymakli is one of the larger underground cities in Cappadocia. It is home to 8 underground levels, including stables, temples and wineries. Kaymakli is located further south than Ihlara Valley; a journey that takes about one hour is lined alongside the Melendiz River. After our meal near the river in Belisirma, we walk alongside the river for about an hour until we reach the majestic Ihlara Valley. We drive to Selime Monastery, the largest rock-cut monastery in Cappadocia with a large cave church and breathtaking views over the area. We briefly pause at a point overlooking Pigeon Valley on our way back to Goreme.

Mustafapasa is famous for its beautiful architecture. It was one of the largest Greek towns in Cappadocia until a population exchange in 1924 between Turkey and Greece. Your tour guide will share information about one of the biggest population exchanges in the world that left approximately 2 million people without homes. Next on our tour is Keslik Monastery, where we can see rare examples of Cappadocian frescoes that were removed from their places of veneration by iconoclasts. We also pass by Greek churches and Mustafapasa’s homes with Greek designs. Further down the road is the Medrese seminary, an Islamic high school..We look at these remarkable frescoes and talk about the iconoclastic period (726-843 AD) when the Byzantine emperors banned such frescoes. Afterwards we drive to Sahinefendi to visit the archaeological site of Sobesos. Archaeologists have recently (last 10 years) started excavating in the area and continue to discover many important artifacts. At this archaeological site we can see Roman baths, tombs, basilicas and mosaics..From Sahinefendi we continue to Soganli valley. Soganli was once the third largest monastic center in the region, with many cave churches and beautiful valleys to hike. Before starting our walking tour, we will have lunch at a local restaurant and visit the famous Soganli dolls made by the women of this village. After an afternoon trek through the Soganli Valley, we will drive back to your hotel. If you are interested in Turkish rugs, we can also visit one of the local rug workshops en route to learn about the traditional rug making process. Cappadocia remains the largest carpet weaving region in Turkey.