Kermelik Valley (Zırha Castle and Bridge)

Located 55 km from Kayseri city center, Kermelik Village is an old village situated right next to the Kızılırmak River. The Kızılırmak River, flowing alongside the village, has created deep valleys along its course, one of which is the Kermelik Valley.

At the entrance to the Kermelik Valley stands a historical stone bridge whose history and architect are unknown; the bridge is locally called the Kermelik Bridge. Its supporting structures are still functional, but the road that once crossed it has succumbed to time and has been replaced with a steel road.

As you venture deeper into the valley, it becomes steeper and the flowing water more powerful. The strong sound of the rushing water is right beside you as you walk through the valley. The valley is quite suitable for hiking. Almond, hawthorn, and terebinth trees are abundant within the valley.

Our purpose in coming to the valley was to photograph Zırha Castle, which is quite well-known in the region but also kept a secret. We reached our goal towards the middle of the valley. Although Zırha Castle is almost completely ruined, it was impressive enough even with its remaining walls. Although the locals call this structure a castle, we don't know its purpose. Behind the castle walls, we saw a deep cave on the mountain surface; the walls seem to have been built to protect the area around this cave. However, it didn't seem possible to reach the cave without rope climbing. Therefore, we postponed taking photos of the cave for our next trip. We had the opportunity to examine the castle walls closely; as can be seen in the photos below, there are wooden partitions between the walls, and they actually look quite sturdy. The castle is located at a point overlooking the Kızılırmak River and the region. There are also burial chambers and decorated tombstones at the foot of the castle, but we don't know their history or any other details.

Kermelik Valley, with its bridge and castle, is a wonderful valley worth seeing. I highly recommend visiting it, and I'll leave you with the photos.