Ihlara Valley, the world’s second largest canyon valley in Aksaray city, has become the focus of attention of local and foreign tourists. This year, local and foreign tourists show great interest to Ihlara Valley, which is located at the entrance of Cappadocia and is one of the most important ruins of the region. There are hundreds of carved rock living places with caves and churches in the Ihlara Valley, which being 14 kilometers long natural canyon structure and can be reached by going down 394 step stairway. In addition to its natural beauties, Ihlara Valley welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors every year with its many churches, chapels and monasteries carved into the rocks due to being a religious center in the early periods of Christianity. After going down the stairway consisting of 394 steps to the floor of Ihlara Valley, which Melendiz Stream passes through, local and foreign tourists have the opportunity to stroll on the 14 kilometers long walking paths on both sides of the Melendiz Stream. Since January 2021, nearly 400 thousand tourist visit Ihlara Valley, whose number of visitors has increased rapidly, especially with normalization process after Corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic. Moreover, Ihlara Valley became one of the most visited ruins in 2021 with the rapidly increasing number of visitors.
