Soganli Valley

SoğanlıVadisi is located in a neighborhood of Yeşilhisar district on the border of Kayseri, which is claimed to show great similarity with IhlaraVadisi(IhlaraValley). The valley, which is 15 km away from the center of Yeşilhisar, is spread over a 25 km wide canyon, not a small area. As mentioned before, it attracts attention with its domedrock churches and being the location of the cloth dolls, which are the memories of our childhood. In the history of the region, there are 15 churches that have witnessed the lives of the Byzantines who lived in the 6th and 7th centuries, and about 50 churches that are still thought to be missing.Soğanlı, which was taken from the Byzantines in 1200-1300 AD and became a Turkish village, is a settlement area of Turkmen origin and which was formerly connected to the castle district.Fairy chimneys, which make Cappadocia famous, continue to exist by showing some differences in this region. This tiny and charming village with a population of 300-400 people was exposed to earthquakes or shocks during the periods when Erciyes, Hasandağı and Güllüdağ(volcanoes) were active, and led to the formation of valleys and plateaus. There are many cemeteries and churches belonging to Roman and Byzantine civilizations on the slopes of this valley. Baby dolls of Soğanlı sprinkle around colorful vitality as often as you will encounter throughout the region. Since the tourist density of the region is not as high as in other parts of Cappadocia, these baby dolls are the most important means of the livelihoods. In addition to the dolls sewed in the most beautiful way by the village women and decorated with make-up; saddles, carpets and socks dominated by Turkish motifs are also encountered. In order to give a break, you can create a delicious resting time with the pancakes prepared by the peasant women.Domed Church on the north side of the valley is one of the most famous and special places in the region. The formation of the domes has been made as a result of a great skillful processing of a giant fairy chimney, which is one of the qualities that make this church even more special.Domed Church, which looks like a maze, is a very exciting and mysterious place with its tunnels carved into the rocks, stairs, corridors and narthexes. One of the reasons that makes this place even more mysterious is its different acoustic structure, which does not allow us to understand where the sound comes from. Domed Church, known to have taken its final form in the 14th century has two floors and decorated by frescoes, as we are often accustomed to.Some collapsed parts of the old buildings which were used as churches or monasteries in old times have been built and turned into pigeon house. In fact, pigeon houses are more common in this region than churches, underground cities and graves, and are also found in Soğanlı. The reason why pigeons are so high in this region is to obtain fertilizer to strengthen the generally weak soil.It was known that there were nearly 200 monasteries and churches in the year 850, and it is known that nearly 50 have survived to the present day. Tokalı Kilise(Tokali Church) located 2 km away from the village, attracts attention because it is the highest vaulted and wide. It also has three apses and three naves connected to each other and the church can be reached after going up 50 stairs. KarabaşKilisesi(Karabash Church), another church in the region, is a structure that has traces of the Roman period and consists of four sections and was built in the 6th century. The important times of Jesus Christ such as his birth, baptism, crucifixion, and the pictures of the saints of the 12 apostles adorn the walls of the church. For this reason, this church is known to be one of the most artistic buildings of the region. The structure, which has four cemetery niches on its walls and is located on the lower floor of the small domed church, is called Saklı Kilise(Sakli Church).With balloons, you can enjoy a unique view for about 45 minutes along the SoğanlıVadisi, where fairy chimney formations are also included. .