Kilistra Cave City and Churches

Nestled into the rocky hills of the south-central Konya province, the ancient settlement of Kilistra is a beautiful site of homes, churches, and watchtowers hewn into the undulating cliffs that border the fertile valleys below.

Kilistra was likely founded sometime around the end of the 2nd century BC during the Hellenistic period, the site was chosen to take advantage of the soft, carvable, stone, as well as the natural protection offered by hiding in the curves of the narrow, cliff-ringed gullies above the wider valley below. Kilistra was also founded along the Royal Road, a Persian Highway connecting the empires heartland in the east with its captured territories in the west, using a road network originally founded in the bronze age by the Assyrians.

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The churches, homes, and other various buildings are scattered over a fairly wide area though the main attractions are just below the modern village of Gökyürt on the north side. This section is the best marked and where you’ll find the tall, tower-like buildings, and the beautifully carved Sandıkkaya Church. Sandıkkaya, meaning “Chest Rock” is a small church carved to the plan of a Byzantine style cruciform church on the interior and exterior. There are only a few churches built like this including the Ayazini church in the Phrygian Valley, and the Belli Church in Cappadocia’s stunning Soğanlı Valley.

On the narrow cliff top above the church that juts out away from the village are the remains of a number of foundations carved into the bedrock, including the apse of what appears to be a small chapel, a faint cross still visible to the right of the apse.

To the north-west of the village is a small valley lined on either side with numerous carved chambers, some of which are reached by flights of carved stairs. There are dozens of rooms on the north side of this valley, and on the southern slope, a massive, triple vaulted cistern well worth exploring.

To the south-west of the village is another church referred to as the St Paul Church (Aziz Paulos Kilisesi) and Sümbül Church.

The reference to Saint Paul comes from the area’s association with St Paul’s visit to nearby Lystra, Iconium (Konya), Derbe, and Pisidian Antioch. Many guides will try and associate Kilistra with the city of Lystra (16 kms to the south-east), though, despite their similar names, they are completely different sites. It is quite possible that St Paul and his companions passed by Kilistra on his way to Iconium (Konya) though there is no record of any such visit.

While the main attraction is historic Kilistra, the village of Gökyürt with its historic stone buildings and narrow winding streets is quite beautiful and reminiscent of Midyat.