Soğanlı is a village where women knit vivid-colored wollen socks and gloves and make very nice dolls. In the valley, deserted churches later transformed into pigeon houses have been found: Domed Church (Kubbeli Kilise), St Barbara Church, Wild Beast Church, Black Heads Church (Karabaş Kilise) etc...

 




Kaymaklı is an underground city with vast proportions: common rooms, dormitories, chambers, bathrooms, kitchens, storage rooms, wine cellars with wine press, stables, chapels and graves were organized on eight levels. Security was provided by huge round stones that closed the accesses and the tunnels. An inspired ventilation system, that still remarkably works, was produced by carved air shafts linked to cisterns where water was stored. Lots of underground cities have been counted in the region. However it is not possible to date them with certainty, but for example it is known that Kaymaklı was already inhabited in the 5C BC because it was referred to by Athenian Xenophon. Some of them are much more recent. From outside it was not easy to detect the existence of these cities because all entrances were camouflaged. They were used as shelters by the local populations at the time of the Arab invasions.
In case of danger huge stone wheels were used to obstruct the entrances
 


Derinkuyu , another large underground city on seven levels, is probably connected to Kaymaklı. Like in the latter, descending is possible through a net of steep narrow passeways that reach galleries leading to different sections.




 

Ihlara Canyon is a deep and narrow 20 km/12 miles long gorge cut through the tufa by the Melendiz which was once a raging river.

The picturesque village spreads on both edges of the canyon. From the entrance and after descending 300 steps to the bottom of the canyon, an enjoyable trekking path leads to many churches like Ağaçlı Kilise (the Church under the Trees), Yılanlı Kilise (the Church of the Serpent), Sümbüllü Kilise (Hyacinth Church)...
 




SULTANHAN

This Seljuk caravanserai ,which is the largest in Anatolia, is located on the main road which once linked Konya to Persia via Kayseri, Sivas and Erzurum. It was built by Sultan Alaatin Keykubat in 1229. It is composed of two sections, an open one used mostly for animals that would share the covered section with people on bad weather conditions. Caravanserais were set up every 25-40 km/ 15-26 miles according to the distance a camel could walk in a day. Inside, traders and travellers were provided with many facilities such as places to sleep and have something to eat, hammams, mosques, doctors and veterinaries, libraries...

 




AKŞEHİR

Akşehir is located north-west of Konya and south of Akşehir Gölü (Lake Akşehir). This town is known throughout Turkey because of Nasreddin Hoca who was born in 1208 in the small village of Hortu close to Sivrihisar. In 1237 he settled in Akşehir which is the place where he died and was buried. An inscription (epitaph) found on a stone showed the date 386.
Considering the fact that Nasreddin Hoca used to ride his donkey sitting backwards, the date had to be read backwards, showing 683 of the Hegira which corresponds in the Moslem calendar to the year 1284-85 which is the date of his death (this has been confirmed by other documents). His tomb symbolizes the absurdity in life, which he had loved to expose while he was alive: the door with a great lock stands by the tomb, but there are no walls for a door.
Every year, Nasreddin Hodja Festivals are organized between 5-10 July both in Sivrihisar and in Aksehir where the Hoca's devotees hold mostly humorous memorial ceremonies.
The year 1996 was proclaimed Nasreddin Hoca Year by UNESCO.
In addition to the Nasreddin Hoca's Mausoleum, the 13th century Ulu Mosque and the Altınkale Mescidi are other monuments worth seeing.