Aksaray, located on the historical Silk Road, has hosted various civilizations. There are 4 Caravansaries (Sultanhanı, Öresinhan, Alayhan, Ağzıkarahan), Ulucami, 4 tombs of Great Turks (Somuncu Baba, Kılıçarslan the 2nd, Tapduk Emre, Yunus Emre), 21 Churches, Ihlara Valley and underground cities. There are geothermal fields such as Ziga hot springs thermal facilities, Narlıgöl Tourism Center, Ilısu.
Since Christianity, which began to spread in Anatolia by St. Paul and his disciples in the 1st century A.C., caused great reaction of the polytheistic Roman proponents, the first Christians began to settle safer places for protection. Moreover, many clergymen who wanted to cloister preferred this region. Aksaray Province, which is the place where St. Gregorius and St. Mamas once lived, has a great importance in terms of faith tourism. Built in 385 A.C. on behalf of the founder of the Orthodox Sect, St. Gregorius, the church is still standing, and the wooden ornaments sent by Russian Tsar Nikola II are still preserved. The church is currently open for worship as a Mosque. Hundreds of rock-carved monasteries and churches remained from that period in both the Manastır Valley and Ihlara Valley, are among our most important tourism centers visited by hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists.
Due to its geological structure, this region is in a position that values in terms of both religious, natural beauties and thermal tourism with its pristine natural beauties, many rock-carved settlements and underground cities and hot springs.
In Aksaray, there are many historical structures from Seljuk and Karamanogullari, i.e. Han and Caravansaries on the Silk Road, Zinciriye Madrasa, Ulucami (Karamanoglu Mosque) built by the Anatolian Seljuk Principalities in 1408, Egri Minaret (Kızıl Minaret 1221-1236) from Seljuk period, Taptuk Emre Tomb , Somuncu Baba Tomb, Nakkaşlı Mosque (16th century), Zincirli Madrasa (mid 15th century), İbrahim Bey Madrasa (mid 15th century), Sultanhanı Caravansary (13th century) are among the important historical structures. Zinciriye Madrasa is one of the biggest schools of its time that train mudarris (professor). Somuncu Baba, Hacı Bayram-ı Veli and Cemaleddin-i Aksarayi taught here.
