Remarks on the Settlement and Social Pattern of the Ihlara and Belisırma, Ihlara Valley in Byzantine Period

The Ihlara Valley (Peristremma), located in Güzelyurt (Karbala/Gelveri) district of Aksaray, is an important settlement of Cappadocia for the Christians of medieval period. Although the Christian presence in Cappadocia was well-known since the 1st century, it was in the 3rd century when the region became the important centre of Christianity and the religious living was shaped by the three Cappadocian fathers, namely Gregory of Nazianzos, Gregory of Nyssa and Basil the Great, bishop of Caesarea. Basil the Great founded the first cenobitic monasteries of Cappodocia which also underpinned the Byzantine monastic system. Although he was the founder of monasticism both in Cappadocia and Anatolia, there exist no written primary sources directly indicating the presence of monasteries in the region. The presence in question was tried to be demonstrated by archeological data. Finely carved, well-organized complexes with churches attached were identified as monasteries. Besides, early travelers and early scholars visiting Cappadocia characterised it as a ‘monastic region’ only inhabited by monks. Within a similar generalisation Ihlara Valley, with its 14 km length and northwest-southeast direction, was also defined as a monastic settlement as well because of its natural land form suitable for seclusion and because of the density of many churches, complexes and other religious spaces. The recent studies in the region, on the other hand, discuss that such complexes were actually the mansions of the aristocrats and the powerful (dynatoi) resident in Cappadocia. Our research in Ihlara suggested that the rock-cut complexes were indeed the residences of the elite whose presence was certified by the wall paintings and the donor portraits in the churches of the valley. In this present study, we aim to make an assessment on the wall paintings, inscriptions and newly-found complexes of the Ihlara and Belisırma settlements. Furthermore, by examining the actual entities of the complexes that were formerly identified as monasteries, we intend to discuss new remarks and suggestions on the settlement pattern of these setlements.

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