TURKEY Part 15 -- Day 7

After the pottery factory we went to the "churches in the rocks". These are small caves that have been carved in the hills and anciently they made them into churches. Many had beautiful frescoes painted on the walls and decorations. But with time and exposure to elements they have weathered away mostly. The beautiful carvings still remain.

As we approached the site we were to visit we was this hill full of holes that were entrances to different caves. Some were open to visitors but most were not.
Here is what the front of some of the churches might have looked like. they would carve these details into the rock faces.
Again the side of the hill with many openings.
This was looking out over the valley. This area was covered with holes in the rocks that had been used as houses, storage, shelter, or churches anciently.
Again the beautiful carving of the rock faces.
Some of the detail painting on the exterior.
It was really crowded with tourists and most of the churches were very small. One church we were supposed to visit had a long line and could only hold about 10 people at a time. Our guide decided to take us to another one called "The Dark Church". It was so named because it had been sheltered from exposure to the light and elements and the paintings inside had been well preserved. Because there was an additional cost to see this place most people did not visit it. We were not allowed to take pictures with flash as that would damage the frescoes. But here are a few pictures I managed to get with my camera and no flash.

These frescoes had been painted in the 12th century and were simply beautiful. It was well worth going to see.