Kaymaklı: Kaymak tradition and historic sites

The specialty’s origin, ingredients and production process offer a concrete insight into the local food culture. Historic sites add architecture and culture to this perspective—different themes to help guide your travel decisions.

Kaymaklı Kuru Kaymağı and how it is made

Kaymaklı Kuru Kaymağı is registered as a geographical indication. It is a dry, light, firm, crescent-shaped kaymak made from cow’s milk. To make it, milk from cows within Kaymaklı’s geographical boundary is cooked for six to seven hours in a buried tandır. The drying stage in particular uses conditions specific to this geographical boundary and requires craft skills.

Since 2006, a Kaymak Festival has been held annually within Kaymaklı’s geographical boundary. The product and the festival offer two perspectives on the local character: one is a specialty with a defined origin and production method, the other a recurring event. If the festival dates matter to your travel plans, check the specific event dates.

Historic sites in Kaymaklı

Kurşunlu Camii is located on Cevdet Sunay Street in Kaymaklı and is listed in the cultural inventory with environmental protection grade 2. Following fire damage, restoration was planned for 2025; check current access before visiting. Aziz Gregorius Church, known as St. Gregorios, is also among Kaymaklı’s historic sites.

The stone Uzun Ali Konağı offers another perspective on the town’s architectural history. A report from 2018 described the then 106-year-old house as restored and prepared for tourism. It also mentioned four rooms in active use and large hearths where Kaymaklı’s dry kaymak, bread and tandoor dishes were made. This information relates to its use at the time. If you would like to include the konağı in your plans, check its current operating and visiting status in advance.

Nevşehir as a regional cultural setting

Within the Nevşehir destination, Merkez İlçe lies in the heart of the Cappadocia region. Karanlık Kilise is in the Göreme Valley, within a monastic complex that forms part of the Göreme Open-Air Museum. A small window in the narthex let in very little light, helping the colors of its frescoes remain especially vivid. The frescoes depict scenes from the life of Jesus and images of saints. The Göreme Open-Air Museum has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a natural and cultural heritage site since December 6, 1985.

Another regional structure is the Damat İbrahim Paşa Complex in Nevşehir. Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Paşa had it built in 1726–1727. The complex includes a mosque, a medrese, a caravanserai, an elementary school, an imaret, a bathhouse and two fountains. Alongside Kaymaklı’s local themes, this regional context offers an additional perspective on the destination’s cultural sites, without equating Nevşehir’s attractions with those of Kaymaklı.

Discover more destinations: Boğaz, Mustafapaşa, Derinkuyu, Göreme, Nevşehir, Tuzköyü Belediyesi, Uçhisar, Ayvali.

Back to the main travel overview: Nevşehir.