Matiate is an archaeological site underneath the town of
Midyat
Midyat ( ku, Midyad, Syriac: ܡܕܝܕ ''Mëḏyaḏ'', Turoyo: ''Miḏyoyo'', ar, مديات) is a town in the Mardin Province of Turkey. The ancient city is the center of a centuries-old Hurrian town in Upper Mesopotamia. In its long history, the ...
, in
Mardin province
Mardin Province ( tr, Mardin ili; ku, Parêzgeha Mêrdînê; ar, محافظة ماردين) is a province of Turkey with a population of 809,719 in 2017, slightly down from the population of 835,173 in 2000. Kurds form the majority of the popu ...
, Turkey. It is assumed to have been in use for 1,900 years, at its peak to have been inhabited by up to 70,000 people and is considered to be the largest cave system in the world.
Discovery
The tunnel system was discovered by chance in 2020 during renovation works in Midyat's old town. Construction workers unearthed a
limestone cave
A solutional cave, solution cave, or karst cave is a cave usually formed in the soluble rock limestone. It is the most frequently occurring type of cave. It can also form in other rocks, including chalk, dolomite, marble, salt beds, and gypsum. ...
which led to a tunnel and other caves. Subsequent large excavation works began and, by 2022,
49 rooms were made visible.
The underground city was called Matiate which translates into "city of caves".
Extension
The town's origins date back to the 2nd or 3rd century
CE and at its peak it is believed to have been inhabited by between 60,000 and 70,000 people.
of tunnels and 49 rooms have been unearthed, but it is assumed that only 3% of the city has been discovered.
Excavation works were performed in co-operation with the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Midyat's municipality and the
Museum of Mardin and, according to Gani Tarkan,, the head of the museum and the excavation works, excavations would extend to the whole district of Midyat.
Function
Gani Tarkan, the director of excavations of Matiate, assumes that the cave system was used as a hiding place for persecuted people.
During the
Roman era, the Christian religion was persecuted and its adherents were known to have lived in similar underground cities throughout Anatolia.
In the cave system there is a Christian church and a room with a
Star of David
The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles.
A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorative ...
, which is assumed to be a Jewish
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
. Water wells, silos,
coins, lamps and bones of humans and animals were also discovered.
Researchers assume it was used as a hiding place between the
1st and
6th century
The 6th century is the period from 501 through 600 in line with the Julian calendar. In the West, the century marks the end of Classical Antiquity and the beginning of the Middle Ages. The collapse of the Western Roman Empire late in the previous c ...
. After the population returned to live above surface, it continued in use as a wine cellar and catacomb.
References
{{Ancient settlements in Turkey
Archaeological sites in Southeastern Anatolia
Underground cities
Former populated places in Turkey