On the outskirts of this small town, 19 km north of Nevsehir, there are two stony sights that are worth exploring in passing.
Four kilometers from the center of Gulsehir, you will find an Open Palace, a wonderful monastery carved into the rock, dating from the period from VI to VII centuries. It includes churches, refectories, dormitories and a kitchen- all of which are cut down in fairy chimneys.
Two kilometers closer to the city, right before the turn to the center, there is a rock-cut church of St. John. It is a five-minute walk away along the Church of St. Nicholas, which departs to the left from the highway and is marked with a sign. John/Cag§1 Kilise road. In the temple of the XIII century there are two levels and wonderful frescoes, including depicting the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Removal from the Cross, the Last Supper, the kiss of Judas and the Last Judgment. The frescoes are relatively well preserved due to the fact that before the restoration in 1995 they were covered with a layer of black soot.
Dolmushi to Gulsehir from Nevsehir depart from the dolmushi stop on Kale Caddesi, north of the Ali bey Jami Mosque. Ask them to drop you off at Achik Sarai or at Karshi kilise, so as not to return from the city. On the way back, just vote for the bus coming from the highway. Buses in the direction of Hajibektas depart from a small bus station in Gulshehir, opposite the Kurshunlu Mosque.
HADJYBEKTAS
The Hadji Bektash Museum, which should not be confused with the usually closed city ethnographic museum, houses the tombs of Hadji Bektash Veli and his followers. Pilgrims observe religious rituals such as embracing pillars, kissing door frames and tying ribbons around a mulberry bush called dilek aeaji. Several rooms are organized as they might have looked at the time when the followers of Bektasha lived in them – they feature photographs of dervishes and earrings worn by celibate members of the brotherhood.
The choice of places to stay in Khadzhybektash is very limited. In the unremarkable Evrim Hotel or the slightly more popular Hunkar Otel Hotel, located on the central city square, Meydani, between the monastery and the bus station, you will be offered simple rooms with blue-yellow furniture and acceptable bathrooms. You can bargain about prices, but not in August, when absolutely all rooms are booked. The opportunities to eat are limited to the simple canteens of the locant, pastry pastas and kebab kebabs on the main street.
