rivers Central Anatolia

Kızılırmak River

The Kızılırmak, meaning Red River in Turkish, is 1,355 km long and is the longest river of Türkiye which rises and ends within the country. The river is born from Kızıldağ mountains in the northeast of Central Anatolia, passes from Sivas, Kayseri, Nevşehir, Kirşehir, Kırıkkale, Ankara, Çankiri, Çorum and Samsun provinces, reaching the Black Sea at Bafra. Some of the dams built on Kizilirmak are: Kesikköprü, Hirfanli, Kapulukaya, Altinkaya and Derbent.

The town of Avanos set on the banks of the Kızılırmak is one of the best places to experience the Red River. Avanos is famous for its markets, and this is one of the top places to visit in Cappadocia. Based at about 8 km from Göreme, Avanos has a lively centre with all the usual amenities including a modern, and a tourist-oriented hamam, (Turkish Bath). It is also famous for its pottery and ceramics and there are workshops and galleries in the town. The clay for the local pottery industry is from the river. And, of course, there is fish from the Kızılırmak River and many local meze.

Melendiz River

The Ihlara Valley

The Melendiz river flows along the floor of this dramatic, winding, 14km-long, 100 m deep canyon from their town of Ihlara to Selime monastery. It is estimated that the first settlement of the valley began in the 4th century. With a maximum depth of 120 m and overall distance of 14 km there used to be 105 historical monuments, but there are only 14 you can still visit. You can walk of 6 km in the valley alongside the Melendiz River. The walk leads to restaurants with wooden platforms right on the riverbank. You need to go down the 397 steps and then you are rewarded with brilliant views. The Ihlara Valley is 40 km from Aksaray and 7 km from Güzelyurt.