The Zelve Monastery is a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

-era monastery that was carved into the rock in pre-

iconoclastic Iconoclasm ()From . ''Iconoclasm'' may also be considered as a back-formation from ''iconoclast'' (Greek: εἰκοκλάστης). The corresponding Greek word for iconoclasm is εἰκονοκλασία, ''eikonoklasia''. is the social belie ...

times. It is part of the Zelve Open Air Museum, located between

Ürgüp Ürgüp ( ''Prokópio,'' Cappadocian Greek: ''Prokópi'', ) is a town in Nevşehir province in the Cappadocia area of Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Ürgüp District.Avanos Avanos is a town in Nevşehir Province in the Cappadocia region of Central Anatolia, Turkey, located north of Nevşehir, the capital city of the province. It is the seat of Avanos District.Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Remains

The remains of the Zelve monastery complex are located on the northern slopes of Aktepe, 1 km from Paşa Bağlari and 10 km out from

Göreme Göreme (; ) is a town (''belde'') in the Nevşehir District, Nevşehir Province in Central Anatolia, Turkey. Its population is 2,034 (2022). It is well known for its fairy chimneys (Turkish language, Turkish: ''peribacalar''), eroded rock forma ...

on the

Avanos Avanos is a town in Nevşehir Province in the Cappadocia region of Central Anatolia, Turkey, located north of Nevşehir, the capital city of the province. It is the seat of Avanos District.Cappadocia Cappadocia (; , from ) is a historical region in Central Anatolia region, Turkey. It is largely in the provinces of Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. Today, the touristic Cappadocia Region is located in Nevşehir ...

n locations. Zelve is spread out over three valleys, of which two are connected by a tunnel. The complex contains innumerable rooms and passages which also house many pointed

fairy chimney A hoodoo (also called a tent rock, fairy chimney, or earth pyramid) is a tall, thin spire of rock formed by erosion. Hoodoos typically consist of relatively soft rock topped by harder, less easily eroded stone that protects each column from the ...

s with large stems, at about 40 feet above the valley floor. The valley was a monastic retreat between the 9th and 13th centuries. The site was inhabited until 1952 when villagers were relocated to nearby Aktepe due to safety concerns. Cappadocia's first seminaries to train priests are located here at the monastery. Dating back to the early years of monastery life in Zelve is the Direkli Church (with the famed columns). Direkli is located at the bottom of the slope. The main decorations are

iconoclast Iconoclasm ()From . ''Iconoclasm'' may also be considered as a back-formation from ''iconoclast'' (Greek: εἰκοκλάστης). The corresponding Greek word for iconoclasm is εἰκονοκλασία, ''eikonoklasia''. is the social belie ...

ic-doctrine high relief crosses. The valley also contains the Balikli Kilise (Fish), Üzümlü Kilise (Grapes) churches and the now totally collapsed Geyikli Kilise (Deer church). These churches date to the pre-iconoclastic period. The area was inhabited until 1952, when the last inhabitants moved to the new town Yeni Zelve ("New Zelve"), 2 km away. In 1967, Zelve was turned into an

open-air museum An open-air museum is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts outdoors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is "the unconfined atmosphere ... outside buildings" ...

. The area also contains houses, a tunnel joining two of the valleys, a mill (without sails), and a small mosque. Several

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot (Scots Language, Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house Domestic pigeon, pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or b ...

s are found in the valley.

References

Zelve InfoCovers biblical historic areas in Turkey
Churches of Göreme Greek Orthodox monasteries in Turkey Christian buildings and structures in the Roman Empire Buildings and structures in Nevşehir Province Tourist attractions in Nevşehir Province Byzantine Iconoclasm Byzantine monasteries in Turkey {{Orthodox-monastery-stub