Soğanlı Valley
A valley with many rock churches from the Byzantine period, where Christian monks built a dense settlement between the 9th and 10th centuries.
View on map4 places to visit in the Yeşilhisar district of Kayseri: Soğanlı Valley, Yeşilhisar Castle and Yeşilhisar Yeraltı Şehri. Plan your trip to Yeşilhisar with local food, practical tips and transport information.
General Information
Yeşilhisar is a district 60 kilometres south of Kayseri province. The district covers 913 km² and lies at an average altitude of 1131 metres above sea level. Its population is 15409, and it gained district status in 1948.
History
In antiquity the area was known as Kbistra or Siyiera, one of the eight great cities of Cappadocia. The founding of the district is not known precisely, but Hittite remains suggest that the area was settled by the Hittites in the 2nd millennium BC at the latest. After 1071, like the Kayseri region, Yeşilhisar was gradually conquered by the Danishmendids. In 1178, in the time of Sultan Kılıçarslan II, it came under Seljuk rule. In 1398, during the unification of Anatolia under Sultan Yıldırım Bayezid, it was attached to the Ottomans. On 1 January 1948, the Karahisar subdistrict, attached to the district of İncesu, was upgraded to district status.
Geography
The district was founded on the western edge of the wide Develi Plain, on the eastern foothills of Karadağ. To the east of the district lies Develi, to the west Niğde and Ürgüp, and to the north İncesu. The district has a continental climate, with hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters.
Economy
The district’s economy is mainly based on agriculture. Of the 500,000 decares of cultivated land, 60% is irrigated. In the irrigated areas, apples, apricots and other fruits are grown in particular.
History and Culture
Yeşilhisar’s former name was Karahisar. The region was settled by the Hittites in the 2nd millennium BC at the latest. Yeşilhisar became a district by Law No. 5071 dated 11 June 1947. The wall-painted structures in Erdemli Valley can be dated to between the 10th and 13th centuries. Soğanlı Archaeological Site has been one of the centres of Christianity since the 4th century AD.
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