Aksaray is a province in Central Anatolia (İç Anadolu), Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Cappadocia region. It is best known for the Ihlara Valley, a 14-kilometre canyon lined with Byzantine rock-cut churches and frescoes, the towering Selime Monastery, and the Sultanhanı Caravanserai, the largest Seljuk han in Turkey. With the volcanic cone of Hasan Mountain on the horizon, the salt expanse of Lake Tuz to the north, and Göreme roughly an hour east, Aksaray serves as an uncrowded gateway to Cappadocia.
Top food tours
Guided experiences that show you Aksaray through its food.
Aksaray Tulum & Testi Kebab Tasting Tour
Includes: Taste tulum kebab, a Central Anatolian specialty slow-cooked inside a sealed lamb-stomach casing unique to the Aksaray region · Watch testi (clay-pot) kebab cracked open tableside in a classic Central Anatolian tableside display · Sample regional mezes, fresh ayran, and locally baked bread between the two main kebab courses · Explore Aksaray's historic food streets, taking in the bazaar district and traditional eateries · Finish with höşmerim or sarığıburma, classic sweets of the Karamanlı culinary tradition
Ihlara Valley & Belisırma Riverside Food Walk
Includes: Walk the floor of Ihlara Gorge, a 100-metre-deep volcanic canyon cut by the Melendiz River in the Aksaray province · Eat freshly made gözleme cooked on a wood-fired griddle at a village stand at the valley entrance · Lunch on whole river trout at a timber-platform restaurant set directly over the water at Belisırma village · Pass Byzantine cave churches carved into the tuff walls along the 4-kilometre gorge path to Belisırma · Drink fresh çay alongside village ekmek baked in a traditional wood-fired stone oven
Güzelyurt Village Cooking & Tasting
Includes: Hand-roll and fold traditional mantı dumplings from scratch in a restored Ottoman stone mansion in Güzelyurt · Cook gözleme on an authentic sacaç griddle using a technique central to the Karamanlı culinary tradition · Taste the finished dishes with village yoghurt, homemade tomato sauce, and chilli-browned butter · Take home printed recipe cards for both mantı and gözleme to recreate the dishes at home · Learn about the Karamanlı — Anatolian Greek — culinary heritage that shaped food culture in this part of Aksaray
Aksaray Saturday Pazar Market Walk
Includes: Browse one of Central Anatolia's most accessible weekly markets, open every Saturday in Aksaray city centre · Taste tulum peyniri, an aged white cheese ripened inside a lamb-skin sack, offered as tasters at vendor stalls · Buy tarhana — a fermented dried soup paste unique to this region — directly from the families who produce it · Find Hasan Mountain wildflower honey, a regional specialty with a distinctive floral flavour that varies by season · Pick up seasonal produce, hand-churned village butter, and dried herbs at significantly lower prices than supermarkets
Tour formats
Different ways to experience Aksaray's food scene.
Items tours
Cooking classes
Take a piece of Aksaray home with you.
Güzelyurt Mantı & Gözleme Class
Foodie tips
Get more out of every meal.
Order testi kebab at least 30 minutes before you want to eat — it cooks in a sealed clay pot in the oven and cannot be rushed
The best gözleme is made by village women at the Ihlara Valley entrance — it is rolled by hand and freshly cooked on a cast-iron sacaç
Hasan Mountain honey (hazan balı) is sold at the Saturday pazar and by producers near Helvadere — look for thick, dark thyme honey
Belisırma riverside restaurants are seasonal (April-October) — if visiting off-season, bring a packed lunch for the valley walk
Aksaray's regional water is naturally mineral-rich; bottled water is cheap but trying the village çeşme (fountain) water in Güzelyurt and Helvadere is a local ritual