Soğanlı Valley

Soğanlı lies south-east of the main Cappadocian valleys, far enough off the circuit that it gets a small fraction of the visitors, and the rock here weathered differently: several of the churches are cut into free-standing cones whose upper sections were carved into conical roofs, so from outside they read as buildings rather than holes in a cliff. The Kubbeli, Saklı, Karabaş and Yılanlı churches are the main ones, spread along two valleys that meet at the village, with frescoes in varying states - worn, smoke-blackened in places, and left largely unattended, which means you walk in and look without a queue. Paths link them in a loop of a few kilometres. The village at the junction is known for its bez bebek, cloth dolls made by local women and sold at stalls and doorways, a craft that has been going for generations. There are a couple of simple restaurants and nothing else.

What you actually see

• The cone churches - Kubbeli and its neighbours with carved roofs.
• The frescoes - worn painting in the unattended chapels.
• The valley loop - a few kilometres linking the sites.
• The cloth dolls - the village craft sold at the doorways.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Any time of day - it is quiet enough that crowds are not a consideration. Spring brings green to the valley floor.

Honest expectations

Frescoes are worn and some churches are locked or hard to find. Paths are rough and lightly marked. It is an hour from Ürgüp with almost no public transport, and facilities are two village restaurants.

Nearby

Mustafapaşa and Ürgüp are north-west; Kayseri and Mount Erciyes are north-east.