Gereme Ruins

There are two different ways to reach these ruins located in the Develi district of Kayseri. The first is to descend from Kayseri via Mount Erciyes to Develi, and at the entrance to Develi, turn right at the foot of the road marked with signs. I absolutely do not recommend this route; it will be very difficult to reach your destination unless you have a jeep. The second route is to come from Kayseri to Develi via Erciyes, and before entering Develi, turn right at the first intersection. I say "can be" because there are no signs on this road, and it's not paved; it's a tractor track that goes through fields. Anyway, after a not-so-easy journey, your fatigue will surely disappear once you reach the ruins, because this beautiful settlement still bears significant traces of the past. It's called the Gereme ruins because of the presence of several ruined structures: a church, a few houses whose foundations remain, and I believe a palace-like structure. The most important of these, in my opinion, is the church, because its columns, carvings, etc., are quite well-preserved. However, as I later discovered from photographs during two visits I made three years apart, the columns had been stolen. Unfortunately, the fate of all these structures is the same; unless you place a guard to protect them, they fall victim to treasure hunters piece by piece. It is said that the church was used by Byzantine monks, who would walk from here to their hermitage cave on the summit of Mount Erciyes. There are some inscriptions on the walls; if anyone can read and understand them, we would be very grateful if they could write their meaning here. In the 1950s, even the dome of this church was still standing, so much so that clothing belonging to Byzantine soldiers was found inside. If serious excavation work were still carried out, many artifacts that would shed light on history would be unearthed.