Güvercinlik Vadisi

Güvercinlik Valley, or Pigeon Valley, is a walking valley about four kilometres long that starts at the foot of Uçhisar Castle and runs down to Göreme. It takes its name from the countless pigeon nests carved into its slopes and into the fairy chimneys. The valley is among the Cappadocian valleys that Kültür Portalı recommends for hiking, and it lies on one of the routes that hot air balloons cross in the morning. To understand why there are so many dovecotes here, you need to look at the soil of Cappadocia. The dry volcanic soil was not fertile enough on its own for vineyards and orchards. Local people kept pigeons, collected the droppings that built up in the rock nests and carried them to their vineyards and fields as fertiliser. Uçhisar Municipality explains that, thanks to its high nitrogen and phosphorus content, this manure was especially effective in viticulture. The sources give different dates for the history of the dovecotes. Uçhisar Municipality traces pigeon keeping in the area back to the ninth century, while Küre Encyclopedia writes that the valley's dovecotes were laid out for farming mainly from the nineteenth century onwards. Both show that the dovecotes were used over a long period. According to the municipality, pigeon eggs were also used as a binder in the wall paintings and plaster of rock-cut buildings. The nests on the slopes are not randomly drilled holes. They were carved into steep rock faces at heights that predators such as foxes and martens could not reach. At the entrances of many dovecotes you can see stripes and motifs painted in red ochre. According to the municipality, this paint helped the pigeons spot their nests from a distance and find their way back. The Vasıl stream, which can dry up in some seasons, runs through the valley. This small watercourse makes a green ribbon along the valley floor. Oleaster, apricot, plum and apple trees and wild flowers brighten the valley, especially in spring. Along the walk you pass through short tunnels cut into the rock and by the entrances of old, abandoned cave dwellings. Starting the walk from Uçhisar is the easiest option. Because Uçhisar sits higher than Göreme, the path mostly goes downhill in this direction. The municipality rates the trail as moderate and says the walk takes on average one and a half to two hours. Once you finish in Göreme, you need to plan a vehicle or public transport to get back to Uçhisar. The viewpoint at the Uçhisar entrance of the valley is the best place to stand with the castle behind you and look towards Göreme. From here, the depth of the valley, the line of fairy chimneys and the dovecote facades on the slopes fit into a single frame. For a short visit, you can simply come to this point and look over the valley from above. The path is dusty, slippery and uneven in places. The municipality recommends hiking shoes with good grip that support the ankle. In the summer months avoid the midday heat and bring plenty of water, because shade in the valley is limited. Light changes the colour of the valley through the day. Around sunrise and sunset the rocks turn from golden yellow to red, and these are the best times for photographs. In the afternoon the dovecote facades stay in shadow, so a morning walk lets you see the slopes better. The valley lies within the Göreme Historical National Park area, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia. Not damaging the plants, not writing on the rocks and not leaving rubbish in the valley are all part of looking after the place. The municipality runs regular buses between Uçhisar and Nevşehir; check the current timetable on the Uçhisar Municipality website before you go.