The frescoes of the thousand-year-old Beşaret Church are in danger of disappearing

The thousand-year-old rock-carved Beşaret church in the Koramaz valley, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, is in danger of disappearing due to neglect and damage caused by treasure hunters.

Koramaz Valley is a valley in Kocasinan district of Kayseri province in Türkiye. Formed as a result of an earthquake fracture, the length of the Koramaz valley is 12 km.

There are forty-two churches made of rock in the valley.

Beşaret Church, famous for its frescoes, was probably built in 1027. On the opposite wall of the church is the story of Jesus’ birth, on the right wall is the story of his baptism, on the left wall is Gabriel, above the entrance are the motifs of Mary and Jesus Christ.

The frescoes on the walls, which have withstood the years, are about to disappear due to neglect and damage caused by treasure hunters.

Providing information about the historical church, Kayseri Representative of the Foundation for the Protection and Promotion of Environmental and Cultural Values (ÇEKÜL) Prof. Dr. Osman Özsoy said: “One of the 3 titles of the Koramaz Valley on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List is rock-carved places of belief. The oldest one in Bağpınar is Beşaret Rock Carved Church. The opinion of experts is that the frescoes here are of high quality, and it is the only rock-carved religious structure we have left in the region. Again, it is one of the rare structures where experts tell a very typical narrative with the paintings on the walls as soon as you enter the door. At the point of history, it was built in 1027, about a thousand years old rock-carved religious structure.”

Özsoy; “Apart from natural causes, we see that the church has been ruthlessly attacked by treasure hunters. Of course, there are treasure hunters hoping to find something here, which is completely illegal, a crime. What can be found here? Of course, when people don’t find anything here or don’t like the paintings, they damage them. In a city right next to us, these are protected, they are the center of attention, people make a living. People here cannot protect them because they do not have that level of thought. If this place was clean, believe me, it would arouse much more interest. Many people would come just to see the frescoes here. Now we come and see that there are landscapes that have been deliberately destroyed. The view is also not pleasant. The existence of such a value on its own without any signage or guidance does not solve the problem.”

Cover Photo: IHA