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©2024 Heiner Sträßer
Tek Nefli Cave Church in the Valley of Erdemli
The valley of Erdemli contains a Byzantine settlement from the 9th to 13th century. The main complex is the Saray Manastırı (palace monastery) with a decorated facade, a big cave church and several spaces on the bottom of the valley. The hillsides contain hundreds of caves with several cave churches and a cave mosque.
It seems that in this cave church never burnt a fire. This kept the frescoes free from grime and, although very damaged, they show their original powerful colours.