The Karlık church, one of the rock-cut sanctuaries of the district, is usually described as a dark church, with a simple cross-in-square plan cut into the stone and painted decoration that has faded over the centuries. Many rock churches here were cut by monks in the tenth and eleventh centuries, and their interiors imitate built architecture, with carved domes, pillars and arches that look like masonry but are all hollowed from a single mass of rock.
The point of visiting such a place is the quiet. There may be no ticket office, no bus park, and only a shepherd and his dog to share the view. The rock walls are pitted with pigeon holes, a reminder that for centuries villagers collected pigeon droppings to fertilise the vineyards and orchards, and painted the little dovecote entrances with white patterns. Hawks wheel above the ridge, and in spring the fields have poppies and wild mustard. In summer the heat from the rock is intense, and by late afternoon the stone turns a deep orange.
The riding on this side is easy and pleasant. Smooth country roads link the villages through vineyards and apricot orchards, with long views toward the snow-capped cone of Erciyes on a clear day. The traffic is light, and the hazards are tractors, flocks of sheep and the occasional unmarked speed bump at a village entrance. Autumn is lovely, with the harvest and golden leaves, and winter brings snow that closes minor tracks and turns the stone churches to white shells. Many of the rock churches in remote spots are locked or require a local guide, so ask in the nearest village.
Ürgüp, about ten kilometres away, has fuel, shops, good restaurants and several wine cellars, and it is a better base than the busier Göreme if you prefer calm. Take water with you, and wear boots with grip on the rock, which can be slippery with fine dust.