This is a monastery church carved from the rock in Gumusler,  8km to the northeast of Nigde, 4 km from the Nigde-Kayseri road.  This 10th century monastery is entered via a vaulted door.  The church is situated to the north side of the courtyard, while rooms carved from the rock line the rest of the courtyard.  The church is built on a closed cruciform plan, and has a central dome, four columns, cross vaults and three apses.

Scenes: Nativity and Presentation of Jesus in the Temple scenes are quite articulated. On the apse there are Deesis and the Apostles, several portraits of Mary, portraits of saints and angels.

Selime is situated at the end of the Ihlara Canyon.  Fairy chimneys rest on the steep hillside, and a basilica style cathedral, the Seljuk tomb of Selime Sultan, whom the town was named after, a hollowed out citadel and churches are also found here.

This valley is situated 40km from Aksaray and can be reached making a turn at the 11th km of the Aksaray-Nevsehir road. 

The canyon was created by the cracking and collapsing which occurred as a result of basalt and andesite lava from Mt. Hasandag�s eruption.  The Melendiz river found its way through these cracks, eroding the canyon bed and helping to form canyon we see today.  The Melendiz river used to be called “Potamus Kapadukus”meaning the River of Cappadocia. 

The 14km long, 100 -150m high valley begins at Ihlara and ends at Selime. There are numerous dwellings, churches and graves built into the valley walls, some of which are connected by tunnels and corridors.

The valley proved to be an ideal place for the seclusion and worship of monks, and a hideaway and defense area for people during times of invasion.

The decorations in the churches can be dated to various times from the 6th to the 13th centuries, and the churches can be classified into two groups.  The churches near to Ihlara display frescoes with oriental influence.  Those nearer to Belisirma display Byzantine type decorations.

Very few Byzantine inscriptions in this area can be read.  Above a 13th century fresco in the church of St. George (Kirkdamatl), the names of Seljuk Sultan Mesud II (1282 - 1305) and the Byzantine Emperor Andronicos II are inscribed.  This is proof of the tolerance of the Seljuk rulers. The best preserved frescos are to be found in the churches of Agacalti, Purenliseki, Kokar, Yilanli and Kirkdamatli 

Aksaray is built at the base of Mt. Hasan, on a large plain at a central crossing point for roads leading in all directions.  It derives its name from the Cappadocian King, Archelaos and was an important town especially in the Roman Period. The name was changed to Aksaray by the Seljuks in the 11th century. 

  Important buildings include the 15th century Ulucami, Kizil Minare (Egri Minare), considered to be the oldest piece of Seljuk work, and the Madrasah of Zinciriye.  Ihlara Canyon and Güzelyurt, some of the important areas in Cappadocia, are within the borders of the province of Aksaray. 

The old name of Gulsehir, situated on the southern bank of the Red River, 20km from Nevsehir, is Arapsun and in ancient times it was called “Zoropassos”. The Ottoman Grand Vizier Karavezir Mehmet Seyyid Pasha did the same thing in Gulsehir as Damat Ibrahim Pasha did in Nevsehir and a Kulliye was built in the town, which had only 30 houses. The complex consisted of a mosque, a Medrese and a fountain.

Karavezir Mosque

  The mosque, having the characteristic features of the Ottoman architecture, was built using blocks of stone of two different colors. The dome covering the main area is seated on four arches.

The Ruins of Aciksaray
  This important area of ruins is situated 3km from Gulsehir.  There are numerous rock cuttings including Roman tombs, and churches dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries in this important bishopric.
Rock formations in the shape of mushrooms are unique to this area.

The Karsi Church (of St John)
  The two floor church of St. Jean, found on entering Gulsehir, houses a church, wine cellar, graves, water channels and living quarters on the lower floor, and a church decorated with Biblical scenes on the upper floor.

  The lower floor church is built to the shape of a cross, has one apse and arms of the cross are barrel-vaulted. The central dome is collapsed. Stylized animals, geometrical and crucifix designs are used to decorate the church in red ochre, which was applied directly onto the rock. The upper church has one apse, and is barrel-vaulted. Apart from those on the apse, the well-preserved frescoes were covered  in a layer of black soot. The church’s present state owes to the restoration and conservation done by Ridvan Isler in 1995.

  The scenes from the life of Jesus and the Bible are in the form of friezes within the borders. Yellow and brown have been used on a black background. On the niche vault and on the sides, floral and geometrical patterns were used. On the west and south walls Last Judgment can be found, a scene rarely depicted in Cappadocian churches.

  According to the inscription on the apse, the church is dated to 1212.

Scenes: Deesis on the apse, on its front Annunciation, below bird designs, on the barrel vault portraits of saints in medallions, on the south wing of the vault Last Supper, Betrayal by Judas, Baptism, below Koimesis (Falling Asleep of Mother Mary), on the north wings of the vault Descent from the Cross, Women at the Tomb, Anastasis, on the West and South walls Last Judgement.

Ortahisar citadel, built both as a defense and as a settlement, is situated 6km from Ürgüp, on the road to Nevsehir. Typical examples of the area’s civilian architecture can be found among the houses skirting the citadel.  The sides of the valleys are littered with carved out storage areas used for preserving local products such as apples and potatoes, as well as oranges and lemons brought from the Mediterranean.

Very interesting churches and monasteries can be found in the surrounding valleys.  Among these are, Sarica church, Cambazli church, Tavsanli church, Balkan Deresi church and Hallac Dere monastery

Zelve is situated on the northern slopes of Aktepe, 1km from Pasabaglari. The ruins at Zelve are spread over three valleys, which also house many pointed fairy chimneys with large stems. Zelve was an important settlement and religious area during the 9th and 13th centuries. 

The first seminaries to priests were given here. The Direkli Church (with the Columns), situated at the bottom of the slope, dates back to the early years of monastery life in Zelve. The main decorations are high relief crosses belonging to the Iconoclastic doctrine. Some of the most important churches in the valley are Balikli (Fish), Uzumlu (Grapes) and Geyikli (Deer) Churches, dating to the Pre-Iconoclastic period. The valley was inhabited until 1952. Apart from monasteries and churches, houses, a tunnel joining two of the valleys, a mill, a mosque and several dovecotes are found in the valley. 

The ancient name of the town of Avanos, which lies 18km to the northeast of Nevsehir, was Vanessa.

 The main economic activity in the town is pottery, a craft dating back to the Hittite period.  The red clay, which is worked by local craftsmen, comes from the residue in the Kizilirmak river.

Mustafapasa, 6km to the south of Urgup, was inhabited by Greek Orthodox families until the beginning of the 20th century.  The houses dating back to the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries display fine examples of stonework. 

Gomede valley, to the west of Mustafapasa, resembles a small version of the Ihlara Canyon. As at Ihlara, the walls of the valley house churches and shelters carved from the rock, and a river runs through the valley.

The important churches and monasteries around Mustafapasa are, the Church of Aios Vasilos, the Church of Constantine-Elene, Churches in the Monastery Valley and, the Church of St. Basil and Alakara in  Gomede valley. 

There is also a Medrese built during the Ottoman period and displaying fine examples of stone masonry and woodcraft.

Uchisar is situated at the highest point in the region, on the Nevsehir-Goreme road, just 7 km from Nevsehir. It is not known when Uchisar was first inhabited , however, in style, it  resembles Ortahisar and the Selime Kalesi (castle) in the Ihlara Region.

The top of the citadel provides a magnificent panorama of the surrounding area. Many rooms hollowed out into the rock are connected to each other with stairs, tunnels and passages. At the entrances of the rooms, there are millstone doors, just like the ones in the underground settlements, used to control access to these places. Due to the erosion in places of this multi-leveled castle, it is unfortunately not possible to reach all the rooms.

The fairy chimneys to the west, east and north of Uchisar were hollowed out and used as graves during the Roman period. Inside these rock cut tombs, the entrances of which generally face west, are klines or stone slabs on which the bodies were laid. Many rock cut churches have been discovered not only on the skirts of  the castle but also inside it. The reason for this may be the fact that Goreme, having numoreus churches and monasteries, is very close to Uchisar. The simple Byzantine graves on top of the castle are not very interesting due to the fact that they have been eroded and ransacked. It is said that in towns with citadels, e.g. Uchisar, Ortahisar and Ürgüp (Bashisar), long defense tunnels reached far into the surrounding areas. However, since the tunnels have collapsed in places, this theory cannot be confirmed, but is a popular myth as to the great distances they cover.