Binbirkilise: The Abandoned Byzantine Churches of Karadağ

✓ Last reviewed: 29 September 2026 — Verified and updated by İlyas Bayrak, licensed Turkish guide (licence 070867), with the My Turkey Adventure editorial team. Prices, opening hours, transport fares and visa rules reflect the latest 2026 guidance. Quick Answer: Binbirkilise is a vast, hauntingly beautiful landscape of abandoned early Byzantine church and monastery ruins scattered across Karadağ , a volcanic mountain in Turkey 's Karaman province. It is absolutely worth visiting for adventurous travellers who crave authentic, off-the-beaten-path history, offering a rare glimpse into a lost world of monastic life in a truly atmospheric setting, famously documented by Gertrude Bell . Fact Detail Location Karadağ mountain, near Madenşehri village, Karaman Province, Central Anatolia, Turkey . Period / Date Early Byzantine (primarily 5th-8th centuries AD , with some use until the 11th century ). What It Is An unfenced archaeological landscape with the ruins of approximately 50 churches, chapels, and monastic buildings. UNESCO Status Included on Turkey 's Tentative List since 2000 as part of "Karaman, Taşkale and its environs". Entry Free. The site is an open, unstaffed area integrated with modern villages. Typical Visit Length Minimum of 3-4 hours; a full half-day is recommended to explore properly. Nearest Airport Konya Airport (KYA), approximately 150 km away. Driving Time from Big City Roughly 2.5 hours from Konya; about 45 minutes from the town of Karaman. Best Months April-June and September-October, for pleasant weather and clear tracks. What Is Binbirkilise? Binbirkilise , the Turkish name for the "Thousand and One Churches" , is not a single location but a vast, scattered archaeological zone on the slopes of Karadağ ( "Black Mountain" ), a dormant volcano rising from the plains of Karaman in Central Anatolia. This evocative name refers to the remains of roughly 50 early Byzantine churches, monasteries, chapels, and dwellings that dot the landscape. These structur