The cone-shaped tufa mounds surrounding the cliffs at Selime are said to resemble cowled monks in procession. Selime Monastery occupies the upper section of this surrealist landscape. The caves of this complex were painstakingly dug out by monks from the 6C onwards, a mammoth task which is almost impossible to imagine. The monastery comprises a labyrinth of stairways, tunnels, cells and chapels, as well as a huge refectory with blind arcatures and a church with three naves.