Kayseri Yeşilhisar Soğanlı Archaeological Site

Soğanlı Village, located in the Kayseri-Niğde-Nevşehir triangle, is 15 km from Yeşilhisar district center.It is located in a valley in the distance, where rock churches and caves are intertwined with today's houses. Soğanlı Archaeological Site has been used as a residential area since the Roman Period. The rock sites located on the slopes of the valley were used by the Romans as a cemetery and the Byzantines as a church.

Soğanlı has been one of the centers of Christianity in Cappadocia since the 4th century A.D and continued its importance in the 7th and 8th centuries. The wall frescoes in the churches reflect the 10-12th centuries in terms of style. Apart from many churches and monasteries carved into the rock in Soğanlı, there are also thousands of dovecotes, caves, and shelters. It is possible to see the rock settlements and similar churches seen in the Ihlara-Göreme and Zelve Valleys and, unlike them, domed rock churches in Soğanlı.

There are about 50 rock churches and caves in Soğanlı archaeological site, which are built on tuffs, but it is possible to visit 8 churches out of them. The doors and windows of the others have been knitted and closed in the past years. There are tombs in the churches, frescoes with paintings of the Prophet Jesus and the apostles, and scenes from the Bible. In addition, the fairy chimneys located in the archaeological site add a different color to the Soğanlı Valley with their beauty. The Churches that can be visited in Soğanlı Ruins are Karabaş Church, Domed Church, Tahtalı (Saint Barbara) Church, Yılanlı Church, Saklı Church, Tokali Church, Ballık Church, and Geyikli Church. Rag dolls made by peasant women in Soğanlı Village and sold throughout the Cappadocia Region and made famous by the name of Soğanlı Doll are one of the most important sources of income in the village.