Carved into those fantastic kalelar are a vast network of churches and monastaries from the 8th and 9th centuries AD. These were refuges for the Iconophiles who were out of power while the Iconoclasts took control of the Byzantine Church. Even though many of the structures and frescoes are decaying, they are still quite beautiful and impressive. Most of these pictures are from the Göreme Open Air Museum.
We happened to hear a guide tell the story of this fresco. Apparently, a virtuous maiden did not want to be married. So, she prayed to remain a virgin. God helped out by changing her into an old man with a white beard. Thanks! So, the image shows the before and after at the same time, plus a cactus in the right place to keep things clean.
This last fresco is from a chapel in the Ihlara Gorge.
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