"Zelve Open Air Museum and the Devrent... " a Zelve Travel Page by acemj

Visiting the Zelve Open Air Museum was a memorable part of my travels through Cappadocia. The only downside was that I was part of a tour, so my time was limited, but we spent a good hour and a half exploring the area and another hour or so exploring the nearby Devrent Valley, which is well worth a stop. The former monastic complex dates back to the ninth century and was used for religious purposes for around 400 years and then was primarily used as a village of cave dwellings and wine makers until the inhabitants were forced to abandon their homes in 1952 when the government ruled that it was unsafe because of the constant crumbling and and erosion of the rocks here.

Along with some amazing fairy chimney formations, you'll find some interesting churches with some surviving paintings as wells as some fascinating cave dwellings that can be explored. Some areas, however, will be blocked off due to rock falls or pending collapses of the structures.

There are dolmuses that ply the roads between Avanos, Goreme and Urgup that will drop you off at Zelve on request, or you can join one of the many tours that come through the area. It's also possible to rent bicycles, mopeds or cars to have even more freedom while visit the great Cappadocia area.