Ihlara Vadisi

The ridges, valleys, and conical peaks of Cappadocia were formed by volcanic eruptions in the Tertiary Period. We have been examining the eastern regions of Cappadocia for the past three days, though today we journeyed west toward Erciyes Dağı. Ilhara Vadisi, or valley, is located here, beneath the mountain range that is the remnant of the once massive volcano. The Ihlara Valley is a gorge of volcanic rock approximately ten miles long, with over twenty rock-cut churches hollowed out of its high walls. The hike to the bottom of the vally was steep and moving through the landscape took time and careful stepping so that we were only able to explore a handful of churches. Here we continued our detailed investigations of motifs and painting styles, tracing workshops through the region.





The Ihlara rock-cut churches differ from those of Göreme, as the former are carved in the ignimbrite (lava) rather than the soft tuff (volcanic ash) of Göreme. The ignimbrite allows for more detailed and regular carving, and thus many of the churches in Ihlara are double churches.



Most of the rock-cut churches of Ihlara also differ from those of Göreme in their color palette. The Ihlara frescoes boast ochres, brick reds, oranges, and dark greens, as seen in the Yılanlı Kilise, or Snake Church. Yılanlı is thus named for its depictions of serpents torturing the damned on its western wall, and the workshop is identifiable as Armenian or Syriac. Dr. Jones showed us that this is evident not only in the style of the painting, but also in iconographical details like the split tunics of the male saints that adorn the church’s upper registers.



After much pondering, photographing, and note-taking, we refeuled on peanut butter sandwiches for the hike back up the gorge and the long drive back to Avanos. Back at our home base we are compiling notes, tracing motifs, and drawing up elevations as we prepare for the rest of the week. Check back in for our next update!