Zelve is an ancient Roman settlement. The beginning of the settlement of the complex is attributed to the 2nd-5th centuries AD. In the 11th-13th centuries, Christians came here and converted a number of residential caves into cells and churches, which is how the monastery emerged, whose churches - Juzumlu ("Church of the of grape clusters", 8th-9th centuries), Balyky ("Fish") and Geyikly ("Deer") - have survived to this day. Until the twenties of the 20th century, before the "population exchange" between Greece and Turkey, the Greek diaspora lived here. It was a very small town. People lived here until the fifties of the 20th century, when there was a danger of the cliff the danger of the cliff collapsing. Then the inhabitants were moved a couple of kilometres further away (now the village of Aktepe, or Yeni Zelve). The houses that once stood on both slopes of the valley were completely deserted in 1952. Since 1967, Zelve has been operating as a museum.
Zelve is of volcanic origin, as is the entire region of Cappadocia. Even Cappadocia region, the volcano of the ancient Mount Argei is considered active in modern times. This mountain, whose height which is 3,971 metres high, has another name, in the local dialect it sounds like "Erciyas Dag." It is inhabited by the local people, rises above all the neighbouring hills and can be seen from afar.
In the crevices and rocky walls nestles a settlement of quite ancient origins. The dwellings were carved in tuff, and spaces were also used, opened up by water. These huge caves had entrances at great at great depths. Small masonry houses were built there at a later date. The community that lived there, first Christians and then Muslims, had an important demographic importance as well as requiring all sorts of services. We have evidence of the extraordinary way of life that these people lived in the bowels of the earth.
Zelwe can be characterised as three gorges riddled with rock houses, tunnels, churches. Rock settlements begin at the approach to Zelwe, and the the most anciently inhabited part is now a museum. Here you can churches can be seen here, as well as groundwater collection areas, a flat-roofed room with a ledge that served as a bench, a mill, a firmly planted stone disc that served as a millstone, which revolved in a drum carved directly into the rock.
There are virtually no frescoes in the local churches, despite the fact that as a monastery the complex existed for several centuries after the lifting of the ban on icons, meaning that Zelve remained a supporter of iconoclasm. In total, there are Fifteen churches from the 9th-15th centuries. The largest of the churches in the open-air museum is the "Church of the Vine" or "Uzumlu Kilisesi", and another church - "Geyikli", characterised by its simple architectural design.
The ruins of a small Ottoman mosque are near the left wall. From it of the mosque are now only partially carved in the rock mihrab and the prayer hall, which testifies to the preserved local tradition in architecture. In order to to explore the complex, you need a torch and a great thirst for adventure. On the right, at the end of the valley, you can see a honeycomb of doors leading to the interior of the complex via an iron staircase. If you find yourself at the top, the main the main problem is getting inside: some caves are only accessible via Some caves can only be reached by dodgy stone steps, others by climbing through large holes in the floor (feel for ancient hand and footholds). Sometimes you'll have to jump to the lower levels, which are quite far away. A special adventure awaits you in the tunnel between the two valleys on the right (if you are facing the car park). It's is only passable if you have nerves of steel. It's not something you can do physically fit and claustrophobic people are not advised to do it, but if you're energetic and not afraid of heights, you'll enjoy it immensely.
