Turkey
Sumela Monastery
A monastery clinging to a cliff 300 metres above a misty Black Sea valley.
Mist moves through the valley in slow curtains, revealing and concealing the monastery clamped to the cliff face 300 metres above the forest floor. The stone seems to grow from the rock itself, its frescoed walls darkened by centuries of damp Black Sea air. The climb up through dripping fir trees makes the first sighting feel earned.
Sumela Monastery, formally the Monastery of the Virgin Mary, was founded in 386 CE on the sheer cliffs of Karadağ in Turkey's Trabzon province. For over 1,500 years it served as one of the most important Greek Orthodox monasteries in the Pontic Alps, surviving Byzantine, Comnenian, and Ottoman rule before being abandoned in 1923 during the population exchanges. The complex includes a rock church, several chapels, kitchens, a library, and a sacred spring, all terraced into the cliff at an altitude of around 1,200 metres. Interior frescoes span centuries — some dating to the 6th century, others painted over in the 18th. After extensive restoration, the monastery reopened to visitors in 2020. The surrounding Altındere National Park provides the approach trail through dense Black Sea forest of spruce, fir, and rhododendron.
Solo
The approach trail through Altındere forest is meditative, and the monastery rewards slow exploration — each fresco and carved niche tells a different century's story.
Couple
The mist, the forest, the dramatic reveal — Sumela is inherently cinematic. Combine it with Trabzon's waterfront for kuymak and çay, and the day balances awe with comfort.
Family
The monastery's improbable position on the cliff face captivates children instantly. The walk up is manageable for older children, and the national park setting keeps younger ones engaged.
- The monastery was founded in 386 AD and clings to a sheer cliff face at 1,200 metres — reached by a 45-minute forest path.
- The interior rock-cut church contains Byzantine frescoes painted in distinct layers across different centuries, the oldest dating to the 9th century.
- The Altındere Valley below is a national park with streams and dense beech forest — the hike begins at the valley floor.
- The monastery was abandoned in 1923 during the population exchange and was partially damaged before restoration efforts began.
Trabzon's kuymak — molten cheese and cornmeal stirred on a copper pan until stretchy and golden.
Karalahana çorbası — Black Sea cabbage soup thickened with cornflour, hearty and warming after the climb.
Akçaabat köfte — spiced meatballs grilled over charcoal, Trabzon's most fiercely defended recipe.
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