BUDGET SOUTH EAST TOUR DETAILS
MUSTAFAPASA (SINASSOS) town remained predominantly Christian throughout the Seljuk and early Ottoman periods, although the Muslim population increased from then on. The Byzantine Greek (Christian) population in the area kept alive their language over the centuries and even developed their own unique dialect. Sinasos, the Greek name for the town, became wealthy by trading with Istanbul, and some splendid old stone Greek houses rich in decoratively carved symbols are not to be missed.
KESLIK MONASTERY, situated in a paradise–like green valley, contains the Church of the Archangel, the Chapel of Saint Stephen, a huge dining area, living quarters and a pool of sacred water. The monks and their guests could hide from danger in a room secured by two mill–stone doors, and a secret passage and spy–hole next to this room would have allowed one of the senior members of the monastic order to secretly listen in on their conversations! The Church of the Archangel is one of the few cave churches to have been used by the local population into the twentieth century. BOOK by EMAIL ››
CEMIL VILLAGE is one of the completely authentic farming villages of the region where some people live in former mansions and some in caves. It has a stone–built church with reasonably well preserved decorations dated 1916 and the frescos on the pillars are very unusual.Can you spot this church from the main road? BOOK by EMAIL ››
TASKINPASA takes its name from the Turkish philosopher, Tashun, who taught in the now ruined local Medrese (Madrasa or Islamic Theological School). The Medrese building, the nearby mosque and Tashun Pasha’s tomb were built in the 14th century by the Karamanids using classical Seljuk style stone decoration. You will be amazed by the detail of the stonework on the Medrese doorway. BOOK by EMAIL ››
SOGANLI, which directly translated means "Land of Onions", is the last of the line of villages in the valleys south of Urgup, and really the most traditional one. Once again, people have built homes in the rock cones created as erosion swept down the hillsides, and until a few decades ago it was home to the highest number of dovecotes in the region, providing guano for the fields around. Its isolation meant it was the ideal place for Byzantines to build monasteries, which were inhabited until at least the 1750s. 
Today, the visitor can enter several churches with reasonably well preserved wall paintings dating from the 10th to the 13th centuries. The locally made doll is the emblem of the village, but this symbol originated from a tragic event: a local woman lost her baby and, unable to cope emotionally, made a rag doll to take its place. Later on, the women of the village developed the art of making these dolls while their men were out on the mountains grazing their animals. A Soganli doll is a must for every doll collection. BOOK by EMAIL ››
ORTAHISAR CASTLE is the "middle" castle in Cappadocia, between Urgup’s main castle and the last castle at Uchisar. Some people in this village still live in cave homes, and you will also see many pigeon houses that provide the best fertilizer for the volcanic Cappadocian soil. BOOK by EMAIL ››
