Aksaray

Aksaray

Aksaray is a city in the Central Anatolian region of Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Konya along the west and south, Nigde to the southeast, Nevsehir to the east, and Kırsehir to the north. It covers an area of 7,626 km².

Aksaray is one of the four provinces in the much-visited area of Cappadocia, along with Nevsehir, Nigde and Kayseri. Also the 3,268m inactive volcano Mt. Hasan (Hasan Dağı) stands between Aksaray and Nigde. The 2400km² salt lake, Tuz Gölü, lies within the boundaries of Aksaray, a large area of swamp with a maximum depth of 1 meter. According to the address based census in 2008, population of Aksaray has been accounted as 370.528. The district covers an area of 4,589 km2, and the average elevation is 980 m, with the highest point being Mt. Hasan at 3,268 m.

Places To Visit ;

The natural beauty of Aksaray is one of its main attractions. One of the most spectacular sights is the Hasan Mountains, which was formed from an ancient volcano. At a height of 3200 meters, it is a hotspot for trekking and mountaineering.

The lava flowing from the Hasan Mountains cooled down and formed a beautiful Canyon with its breaks and splits in the Ihlara Valley, which is about 40 kilometers from Aksaray. The Melendiz brook flows through this valley. The valley reaches a height of almost 150 meters at some places. You will find many churches, shelters and tombs engraved into the rock surfaces of the valley. Some of these shelters and churches are connected to each other by means of many underground tunnels.

In and around Aksaray there are many museums and ancient cities that you should visit. The Aksaray museum was founded in 1969 in the Zinciriye Medressi, a building existing from the Karamanogullari period in the 14th century. Many archeological and ethnographic works of art are displayed here.

Some underground cities have been exposed and open to visitors in the region. You will find them at Ortakoy county and Guzelyurt county center. At the Gulagac County, the Saratli underground city is illuminated for visitors to see.

At the Viransehir Nora town you can see historical remains from Roman and Byzantine periods. Viransehir Nora was once an important military base because of its strategic location. There are some partially damaged churches where you can still see the wonderful frescoes of the times.

Another place worth visiting would be the Persian mound at Acemhoyuk, which lay 18 kilometers North West from Aksaray. Here you can see an ancient palace from the Asur Trade Colonies period. Excavations in this region have also unearthed aquiline mouthed jugs, signets and ceramics which are on display.

At Asikli Tumulus, you can see ruins of the first village settlements from the Aceramic Neolithic period.

There are also a number of churches, mosques and tombs in Aksaray, that are worth visiting. Also impressive are the Seljuk Turkish caravanserais, which are found there as a legacy of the Silk Road.