routesTürkiye
ENDERU
The rock-cut Selime monastery in the cliff among fairy chimneys 4 more photos
Photo: Dudva / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized

Culture · Ihlara & Aksaray · Merkez

Selime Monastery

Selime Katedrali

A huge rock-cut monastery complex, with a cathedral-sized church, kitchens and stables carved into the cliff at the northern end of Ihlara Valley.

  • Hours not verified Check on site before you go
  • Visit ~45 min–1.3 h
  • Museum Pass

Directions See it on the Ihlara & Aksaray map

Build a day-by-day plan with closing-day warnings and ticket totals.

What to see

Paths and tunnels climb through halls, chapels and a church with a carved nave and faded frescoes, all hollowed out of the soft tuff among fairy chimneys.

Allow an hour; the climb is steep and the rock can be slippery. It is often the last stop of an Ihlara walk or tour.

Late afternoon light turns the cliff golden. The Museum Pass map lists a "Selime entrance" to the Ihlara site; which ticket applies at the monastery itself could not be confirmed.

Getting there

At Selime village on the Aksaray–Ihlara road, about 30 km south-east of Aksaray.

Transport lines are general directions, not checked against the operator's timetable.

Open in OpenStreetMap See it on the Ihlara & Aksaray map

Nearby

Open now near me →

Where to stay nearby

ilçemde shows no Ministry-licensed count for Aksaray; its page still lists hotels and guesthouses in the district.

Hotels and guesthouses in Aksaray ↗

How we rank: Nearby Ministry-licensed places first (matched to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism list), then other places by distance band (within 5 km, 15 km, 40 km; straight line) and public map ratings and review counts. A licensed place never jumps ahead of a closer band. Places more than 25 km away in another town are shown only when there are few options nearby. No business pays to be listed. A high score from a handful of reviews counts for less than a slightly lower score from hundreds. Ratings and counts come from ilçemde's data (source shown on each card, checked 1 Oct 2026); read the reviews themselves on the map services.

Accommodation lists open on ilçemde, our sister directory of Turkish businesses (new tab). We do not take bookings or commissions.

Pharmacies on duty tonight in Aksaray ↗ The list changes every day; on-duty pharmacies stay open when the others are closed.

About this page

Location: Wikidata Q5996572 (P625). Ticket, hours and closing days: only from the operator's own pages; anything we could not confirm there is marked “Not verified”. Last checked 30 Sep 2026.