Looking down into the Ihlara Valley where there are hundreds of cave dwellings and several “churches”. We hiked down to see them and had a picnic along the stream at the bottom. It is thought that the original inhabitants moved down into this valley for protection from the numerous invading armies. The stream at the bottom also provided a steady water supply to grow crops and feed livestock. As you can see, the land outside the canyon is arid with little water and little opportunity for either farming or hiding from enemies.