İnicrliin Cave () is a

show cave A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits. Definition A show cave is a cave that has been made accessible to ...

located in Gökçeler Canyon in

Milas Milas is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Muğla Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,067 km2, and its population is 147,416 (2022). The city commands a region with an active economy and is very rich in history and ancient rema ...

district of

Muğla Province Muğla Province (, ) is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey, at the country's southwestern corner, on the Aegean Sea. Its area is 12,654 km2, and its population is 1 ...

, Turkey. It is the most significant one and the only show cave in a group of nearly 30 caves in the canyon area. It is on the northern hillside of Mount Manastır overlooking the canyon.

Description

The cave is long. It is a horizontal lying spring cave. Its forming was affected by a distinctive fault in a

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

formation. The cave has a wide entrance. It is wide and has a clearance of . It features ponds, giant

stalactite A stalactite (, ; , ) is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble and that can be deposited as a colloid, or is in suspension (chemistry ...

s and

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; ; ) is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically composed of calcium carbonate, but may consist ...

s. There are many rooms separated from the main gallery by stalactites. The rooms are mostly connected with each other by high passages. The "Gösteri Salonu" (literally "Show Room") in the middle of the cave is below the entrance level. The "Damlataş Galerisi" ("Dripstone Gallery") at the end of the show cave, which was formed on the fault, is situated higher than the entrance level. In terms of

hydrogeology Hydrogeology (''hydro-'' meaning water, and ''-geology'' meaning the study of the Earth) is the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the soil and rock (geology), rocks of the Earth's crust (ge ...

, the cave is in a

vadose zone The vadose zone (from the Latin word for "shallow"), also termed the unsaturated zone, is the part of Earth between the land surface and the top of the phreatic zone, the position at which the groundwater (the water in the soil's pores) is at ...

. It remains totally dry but becomes wet by dripping water from the cave ceiling during the rainy period. Generally, the stalactites and stalagmites in the entrance, the "Yarasa Galerisi" ("Bat Gallery"), the "Havuzlu Salon" ("Pond's Room") and the "Gösteri Salonu" are partially fossilized, while the formation of the stalactites, stalagmites, columns and draperies in the "Damlataş Galerisi" ("Dripstone Gallery") is still continuing.

Tourist access

The cave was fitted in 2013 with lighting that does not harm geological formations. In April 2016, a -long part of the cave was opened to the public as a show cave, from the total length of .

Archaeological findings

A great number of earthenware pieces, which are dated back to the prehistoric era and antiquity, were found in the ground at the entrance and inside the cave. By December 2016, archaeological excavations were started by the

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in the section of the cave, which is not open to the public, Human and animal bones,

stone tool Stone tools have been used throughout human history but are most closely associated with prehistoric cultures and in particular those of the Stone Age. Stone tools may be made of either ground stone or knapped stone, the latter fashioned by a ...

s and

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

pieces were discovered. These finds show that the cave was inhabited in the ancient times already 8,000 years ago in 6000 BC. İncirliin Cave was registered as a first-grade

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

and first-grade

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

on February 27, 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Incirliin Cave Show caves in Turkey Landforms of Muğla Province Tourist attractions in Muğla Province Archaeological sites in the Aegean region Archaeological sites of prehistoric Anatolia Archaeological sites of ancient Anatolia Nature reserves in Turkey Protected areas established in 2008 2008 establishments in Turkey