Paşabağ (Monks Valley): the fairy chimneys with many caps

Paşabağ, also called Monks Valley, is a small valley of fairy chimneys beside Zelve, on the northern road from Göreme to Avanos. It is known for chimneys that carry two or three mushroom-like caps on a single stem, and for one chimney with rooms cut inside it on several levels, traditionally linked to a hermit. It is a short stop rather than a long visit, and it is almost always paired with Zelve. None of our 80 catalogue records mentions it by name, so this guide uses the records for the road and villages around it: the three Çavuşin hotels and the three records that measure the distance to Zelve. It gives no prices or opening times.

Why the chimneys have several heads

A fairy chimney forms when a harder cap of rock shields the softer tuff beneath it while wind and water carry away the rock around. Usually one cap sits on one column. At Paşabağ erosion has cut single rock masses into several columns that still share a base, so one stem ends in two, three or more caps. The result looks less like a tidy row of cones and more like a cluster of mushrooms grown from one root.

The caps are also the reason not to touch. Where a cap has fallen, the column under it wears away much faster than before, because the soft tuff is no longer protected. The chimneys here are for looking at, not for climbing on.

The hermit chimney and the name

The best-known chimney is one of the multi-headed ones, usually described as hollowed into rooms on several levels, linked by narrow steps, with a small chapel among them. Tradition ties it to a hermit called Simeon. This is the clearest example of what the name Monks Valley points to: the hermits traditionally linked with the area. Dates are uncertain, so read the details as local tradition rather than settled history. Whether you can step inside or only look from the foot of the rock can change, so ask on the day and follow the signs and staff.

The name Paşabağ is usually read as “the pasha’s vineyard”. You will also see it written Paşabağı, which is the form our other articles use; it is the same place.

Where it sits on the northern line

The road north from Göreme strings its sights together in a fixed order, which is why Paşabağ is rarely visited alone:

Stop	What it is	Guide
Çavuşin	old village on the cliff, church of St John	Çavuşin guide
Zelve	abandoned rock village, open-air museum	Zelve guide
Paşabağ	multi-headed chimneys, the hermit chimney	this article
Devrent	rocks shaped like animals	Devrent Valley
Avanos	pottery town on the river	Avanos guide

With a car the first four fit into one morning, and Avanos suits the end of the day. Without one, a taxi or a tour is the practical choice. The 3-day itinerary places the whole line on day 2.

Three stops, three ways of looking at rock

Zelve is about how people lived in the rock: kitchens, stables, a mosque and churches in an emptied village. Paşabağ is about form: how erosion and a hard cap produce a shape. Devrent is about resemblance: nobody carved those rocks, and the animals are in the eye of the visitor. Seen in that order the three stops do not repeat each other, which is why they work as one morning. If time runs short, the smallest stop, Devrent, is the one to drop first, because Zelve takes the longest to walk.

Who it suits

Paşabağ is open ground with short paths, so it suits most visitors, including children who enjoy hunting for shapes in rock. The surface is uneven and the steps are worn, which makes it a poorer fit for pushchairs and for anyone with limited mobility; ask your hotel about the current state of the paths before you go. Photographers get the most from it at the edges of the day, when the sun is low and the caps throw long shadows on their own stems.

How far is it from your hotel?

No catalogue record gives a distance to Paşabağ. The nearest stand-in is Zelve, which is next door. Three records state a distance to it, from three different towns, and the method of measuring is not given:

Hotel	Town	Distance to Zelve in the record
Soho Cappadocia	Göreme	7.4 km
Hu of Cappadocia - Special Class	Uçhisar	11 km
Yılkı Cave Suites	Mustafapaşa	about 17 km

The three Çavuşin records give no figure, although the village is on the same road. If distance matters to you, ask the hotel how long the drive takes rather than relying on a number this guide does not have.

Planning the visit

• Light. Low sun, in the morning or late afternoon, brings out the colour and texture of the rock; the middle of a summer day flattens it.
• Shade. There is almost none. In Nevşehir the average July maximum is 28.5 °C with about 12 hours of sun a day, so go early and carry water.
• Winter and rain. The January average maximum is 4.0 °C and the minimum −3.6 °C, and worn steps can be icy. April has about 12 rainy days and October 7 (MGM, 1959–2025); wet tuff is slippery. For every month see when to visit and the weather page.
• Footwear. Shoes with grip; the paths are uneven and the rock is smooth.
• Closures. Sections can be fenced or closed for safety. Check the Ministry of Culture and Tourism source and ask your hotel on the day.
• Balloons. If a flight is cancelled, the northern line fills the free morning well: balloons flew on 340 of 579 recorded days, 59% (1 January 2025 – 2 August 2026), the date at which our flight calendar ends.

Where to stay for Paşabağ

The three Çavuşin hotels sit on the northern road, all in the cave category. Seki Cave Hotel has 16 rooms, each with a fireplace, and lists Güllüdere and Kızıl Valley within walking distance. Azure Cave Suites lists balloon and valley views together with an airport transfer. Atax Cave House names Göreme, Ürgüp and Avanos as nearby, which suits a few days of day trips. In Göreme, Soho Cappadocia is the one record that gives a Zelve distance. All six towns are on the hotel list, and the three Çavuşin records are in the Çavuşin section. After choosing, you can book through gocappadocia.com, the regional booking platform created through the combined efforts of 175 Cappadocia hoteliers, with a best-price guarantee; this guide takes no commission.