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Sumela Monastery clings to a cliff in the Altindere Valley, inside the Macka district, roughly 50 kilometers south of Trabzon, a province on Türkiye's northeastern Black Sea coast, some 700 kilometers east of Istanbul.
Carved into the rock centuries ago, the site has become one of Türkiye's most visited historical destinations, drawing hundreds of thousands of travelers to its steep approach each year.
The path to Sumela Monastery winds through the forested slopes of the Macka Valley, inland from Trabzon's Black Sea coast, climbing steadily until the monastery's stone walls appear against the cliff.
For visitors unfamiliar with this corner of northeastern Türkiye, the route offers a first sense of the mountainous terrain that has sheltered the site for generations.
A stone stairway cut into the cliff carries visitors the final stretch up to the monastery entrance, several hundred meters above the valley floor.
The climb is steep, and each turn opens a wider view over the forested slopes below, part of the mountain range that separates Trabzon's coastline from its inland districts.
Inside, the monastery's chapel walls hold layers of frescoes painted onto the rock over centuries, remnants of the site's long life as a religious retreat.
The compact rooms and narrow corridors carved into the cliff give visitors a sense of how completely the building depends on the mountain that holds it.
By Sept. 15, 2026, a total of 520,000 people had visited Sumela Monastery this year, according to Adil Karaismailoglu, head of the parliamentary Public Works, Reconstruction, Transport and Tourism Commission, who described the figure as the highest visitor count the site has recorded to date.
Karaismailoglu, who inspected the monastery in person, said visitor numbers are expected to exceed 600,000 by year-end.
He noted that international visitor numbers, which had declined in previous months, have risen significantly, while domestic visitors account for as much as 50% of the total this season.
Nearby, the Vazelon and Kustul monasteries remain closed to the public while restoration work continues under Türkiye's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, with officials saying their eventual opening could draw further attention to the Macka and Sumela valleys.
Sumela Monastery itself stays open year-round, aside from a brief closure earlier tied to rockfalls, and now receives close to or more than 5,000 visitors on its busiest days.
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