Where is Belisirma Village?

Belisirma Village is located in the middle of Ihlara Valley. There are two routes to get to Belisirma Village. The first and the most popular alternative is driving the south from Cappadocia first and visit one of the underground cities like Kaymakli or Derinkuyu. But if you have visited an underground city before, you can drive via Nevsehir, Acigol and Gulagac to get to Belisirma Village from the opposite direction unlike the tour busses do. You will reach the bottom of the Ihlara Valley and park your car by the Melendiz Stream before exploring the valley and Belisirma Village.

Why Belisirma is very popular?

Belisirma is a gifted village thanks to its location. The landscape is more forgiving around Belisirma. As a result, Cappadocians built the village from the top to the bottom of the Ihlara Valley. That creates a scene full of cute little stone houses scattered to the slopes of Ihlara Valley. Even if the houses look very tiny from a distance, each house reaches a big cave system in thunder ground carved into the natural volcanic tuff. The houses are reaching the bottom of the valley where you can find many restaurants established right by the water. Some have wooden lodges built right on the water. Restaurants offer limited types of foods, but a cold beverage is well deserved after a four or seven-kilometer walk in the valley. After rejuvenating on or by the Melendiz Stream in Belisirma Village, you can either continue your hike in the valley or explore the village. The path finishing by the ticket office in the parking area of Belisirma starts after the last restaurant at the bottom of the valley. You will see a bridge connecting the restaurants to Belisirma Village. If you cross the bridge, you will easily notice your new path on the left side going through the orchards. That seven-kilometer path will take you to Yaprakhisarand Selime Villages, located on the Northern end of Ihlara Valley.

What to do in Belisirma Village?

Belisirma looks like an open buffet from a distance. The majority of the tourists exploring the Ihlara Valley take their lunch breaks there. But the Village has a few more things to show to travelers. There are two churches with frescoes only fifty meters away from the parking area by the ticket office in Belisirma Village. To get to Bahattin Samanligi and Direkli Churches, you will have to walk uphill by the busy road taking people out of Belisirma Village. There is a good view of the village and the valley from the terraces of these churches. There is another road to exit Belisirma Village in the East. You need to find the bridge before the last restaurant and cross the bridge to reach Belisirma Village. The walking path up to Ala Church and Bezirhane offers breathtaking views ofIhlara Valley. It is very likely to come across a local villager dealing with their daily tasks. Don’t hesitate to give a hand, which may end up becoming a very memorable experience. You will easily notice the Ala Church and theBezirhane (Linseed Oil Factory) on the right. Ala Church is among the biggest cave churches of Cappadocia. The small chapel right next to Ala Church and the linseed Oil factory will be the highlight of your Belisirma Village tour. Please kindly be advised that the locals ofBelisirma used the Linseed Oil Factory until the 1960s. Flax seeds were collected from nature and processed in the hand-carved wooden mill powered by two animals at the bottom of the vertical skewer. People worked at the back lined up right next to each other during the process. Linseed oil was used in illumination, carpentry, and probably in the kitchens of Cappadocians. We cannot enter the Linseed Oil factory today, but it is straightforward to see the beautiful woodwork through the iron bars.

------------------------------------

Would you like us to tailor you a private itinerary including Belisirma Village? Benefit from our expertise. We offer tailor-made tours to Turkey for all interests and desires, from romantic honeymoons and scenic self-drive road trips to photo tours with experienced photographers and cultural tours in major destinations. We arrange everything for your Turkey Tours, including hotel bookings, airport transfers, guided tours, and top-notch experiences. We want you to have a great time in Turkey and make sure your trip is a memorable one as we have escorted so many tours in Turkey personally. Imagine dealing with only one person for all your travel details, receiving customized itineraries and recommendations which will suit exactly your travel interests. Contact Turkey Tour Organizer to get a personalized day by day itinerary for your trip to Turkey.