As you drive from Derinkuyu towards Güzelyurt and the Ihlara Gorge you will see a turn-off on the left which leads to the Sofular Vadisi, one of the least visited of Cappadocia‘s many valleys. Like so many of the rock-cut villages for which the area is famous the original village of Sofular fell victim to fears that falling rocks would kill the residents of its pretty stone-built houses, most of them backed into caves or built over tunnels. Eventually all of them were given new homes in a Yeni (New) Sofular of neat streets lined with bungalows.
Until the 2010s the ruins of the old village slumbered in anonymity. Now a tarmacked road has been provided so that visitors can reach it more easily and trees have been planted all the way along it. Clearly the authorities hope to attract lots of visitors here. Would it be too fanciful to imagine it eventually metamorphosing into one of the sort of living history museums which are commonplace in the USA and UK? So far there’s little sign of it.
Interestingly, local archaeologists unearthed the partial skeleton of a fossilised rhinoceros in the vicinity of Sofular in 2010.
Sleeping
There is nowhere to stay here. The best choice of accommodation nearby is in Güzelyurt.
Transport info
There is no public transport to get you here. Either you have your own car or you’ll need to find a travel agency that can design a tour to include Sofular for you.
