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The stone-walled interior of the cave church of Saint Thekla at Ayatekla, with columns and an arched doorway
Photo: Dosseman / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized

Culture · Mersin coast: Kızkalesi & Silifke · Silifke

Ayatekla (Hagia Thekla)

Silifke Ayatekla Ören Yeri

An early Christian pilgrimage site just south of Silifke, with the cave church of Saint Thekla and the tall apse wall of a great basilica above it.

  • Open now Closes 19:00 · last entry 18:15
  • Ticket Free
  • Visit ~30–45 min

Directions See it on the Mersin coast: Kızkalesi & Silifke map

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

What to see

Thekla, a follower of Saint Paul, is said to have lived and hidden in a cave here, and the place became one of the early pilgrimage centres of the Christian world. The cave itself was later turned into a church, and above it stands the high apse wall of a large basilica built in the second half of the fifth century; cisterns and the ruins of other churches lie around it.

Thirty to forty-five minutes.

It is still a place of prayer for visitors of faith — keep voices down in the cave church.

Getting there

At Meryemlik on the southern edge of Silifke, about 2 km from the town centre. From Kızkalesi it is about 22 km in a straight line, along the coast road.

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

Open in OpenStreetMap See it on the Mersin coast: Kızkalesi & Silifke map

Nearby

Open now near me →

Also in this area

Straight-line distances.

Where to stay nearby

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

Hotels and guesthouses in Silifke ↗

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 Silifke ↗ The list changes every day; on-duty pharmacies stay open when the others are closed.

About this page

Location: OpenStreetMap — Ayatekla (way/1005615186; Nominatim, 01.10.2026). 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.