Writer: Ayça Olcaytu İşçen
August 2010

Meskendir Valley, 4400m, lays down southwest direction from Ortahisar to Çavuşin Village. In order to reach to the entrance of the Valley, you need to reach to Kaya Camping on the right hand side of Ortahisar-Göreme road. You can reach to Kaya Camping after 800m from Cappadocia Inn Hotel on Göreme junction of Ürgüp-Nevşehir main road. You will see a foot path on the right as a continuance of the dirt road on the right of Kaya Camping. After 150m this foot path will bring you to Meskendir Valley entrance. Do not let the foot path scare you because of its being upright but do not forget to pay special attention to your safety.
300m after you reach to the Valley, you will reach to a tiny break area, where you will find a kiosk selling cold and hot drinks. Your walking will continue through the tunnels, engraved by the river. After 1 hour from the entrance on your right, you will see Kızılçukur Valley parting way. 10 minutes after this parting way, on your right side you will see “Unnamed Chapel” which was carved into the rocks. Right after the chapel you will reach to Güllüdere-I Valley parting way where you will see another valley kiosk for drinks. As you follow Meskendir Valley, after 10 minutes on the right there is Güllüdere-II parting way. After this point Meskendir Valley continues flat until Çavuşin Village. You can take Meskendir Valley with a comfortable tempo in 3 hours. If you include Güllüdere-I Valley to your racecourse, you need to add 1 hour more to your plan.

Meskendir Church
There is an exit to left in the middle of the second tunnel after come down in Meskendir Valley. You can reach the Meskendir Church if you follow the path upwards 80 m after the exit. If you missed this exit you should follow the steep path on the right direction at the end of the tunnel. This path will guide you to walk 50 m to reach the church.  
According to the famous French researcher Nicole Thierry there was a chapel with single nave and apse in front of the church. The chapel that reached today with only a little portion was used as the entrance of the church which was constructed later times and called Meskendir. Only a small portion of the huge Latin cross which was engraved on the roof of the chapel can be visible. Around the cross is ornamented with frescoes in pretty weathered condition. Jesus can be distinguished in one of the frescoes.
The Meskendir Church which was constructed on a huge rock mass by precisely carving, is cross planned and has three apses. There is a ruin of altar in the middle of the apse. Internal decorations of the church with east-west axis are composed of geometrical ornamentations and several reliefs which are figured with red colour directly on the rock. There are a refectory, a tandoor fireplace, and several rooms at the south side of the church.

Note: This article has been published in Peribacası Cappadocia Culture and Publicity Magazine, August 2010 issue. It is under protection of the copyrights of the magazine. No part of this article may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by electronic, mechanical or other means without prior permission from the owner. www.cappadociaexplorer.com