It´s even more improbable that the city will produce a rock band as influential and iconic as New York´s The Velvet Underground. But Antalya province does boast a little-known underground rock scene that is all its own -- caves (mağara in Turkish). The seemingly solid limestone peaks of the Toros Mountains, which run dramatically through the province from west to east, are literally riddled with holes, fissures, chambers, caverns, sink-holes and passage ways of all shapes and sizes. Some of the most interesting and attractive of these natural underground wonders are open to the public, giving visitors the opportunity to peek beneath the surface of the earth -- and provide a worthwhile alternative to the plethora of ancient sites that form the main sightseeing menu of the region.
Karain -- a desirable residence for 50,000 years
Karain Mağarası (open daily April-October 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; November-March 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., entrance TL 3), invitingly set in the lower folds of a limestone peak some 30 kilometers northwest of Antalya and 430 meters above sea level, may not be the province´s most spectacular cave, but for anyone with an interest in prehistory it is a must. For here a series of eight caves, eaten out of the bedrock over the millennia by slightly acidic ground and rainwater, proved irresistibly attractive to our ancestors. For over 50,000 years, from the Stone Age through to the Bronze Age, these limestone chambers provided security and (relative) comfort for their inhabitants. No hewing or chiseling of rock necessary (just as well given that the only implements they had to hand were painstakingly wrought stone axes and scrapers), the cave complex provided a ready-made suite of rooms, all at an ambient temperature. Not only were the troglodytes kept warm(ish) in winter and cool in the fierce heat of summer, the caves, set up in a rock-face some 150 meters above the plain, were easily defendable. From the rocky terrace in front of their home they had a grand view of their hunting lands, the great Antalya Plain, which must have then been (as the fossilized hippopotamus tooth in the small museum at the foot of the steps leading to the caves attests) fertile and well-watered terrain.
The views from the cave entrance are still beautiful, especially with the sun sinking and lighting up the snow-plastered west face of distant Mount Bozburun, at the eastern side of the plain (which is, incidentally, one of the largest travertine deposits in the world), and the pine-forested flanks of the mountains to the west and south. What the Stone Age hunters would have made of booming Döşemealtı, a sprawl of new roads, apartments and villas spreading like a concrete rash over the plain´s green fields, fruit orchards and olive groves, is anyone´s guess. Still, even with the once quaint carpet-weaving village of Döşemealtı rapidly transforming itself into a new Antalya, it´s a fine vista and makes the steep climb up the roughly hewn and seemingly interminable steps to the entrance worthwhile.
Be wary when exploring the artificially lit cave as, particularly after rain, the mud floor turns extremely slippery. The most spectacular of the caverns is the deepest, reached by a natural sloping ramp from the entrance chamber, currently scaffolded to aid ongoing excavations. There are both stalactites and stalagmites, but more impressive are the great sculpted waves of limestone rippling their way across the ceilings. The poorly-lit and unimaginatively displayed exhibits from the cave, displayed in the museum at the foot of the rock-face -- including aforementioned stone tools, plus flint scrapers, spearheads, daggers made from antlers, pieces of Chalcolithic pottery and human bones -- do at least give some idea of how early man survived in these caves and the environment around. The cave has been excavated on and off since 1946, and the fact it is still being examined by experts shows just how important it is. For a more impressive display of the finds made at Karain go to the archaeology museum in Antalya. Before leaving the cave check out the rock face surrounding the main entrance and you´ll find evidence that the site was important to later man, too, as there are Greek inscriptions cut into the rock and niches for placing lamps or candles -- suggesting that in the Roman and Byzantine period this was a sacred place.
Zeytintaşı -- spaghetti underground
If you rely on older guidebooks you´ll find no mention of the superb cave of Zeytintaşı Mağarası (Olive Stone Cave, open daily 9 a.m.-6 p.m., entrance TL 4), about an hour´s drive east of Antalya and some 16 kilometers north of the straggling agricultural town of Serik. The cave was not discovered until 1997 when quarry men, digging out road surfacing materials from a limestone bluff some 220 meters above sea level, accidentally opened up a door into a dazzling underworld. For here, in a cavern some 136 meters long, is a stunning display of rock formations formed by the steady “drip-drip” or flow of calcium carbonate-laden water. The veritable forest of long, thin columns hanging from many sections of the roof of the cave are a type of stalactite sometimes known as “spaghetti,” as they closely resemble the Italian pasta from which their name derives. According to Ramazan, the keen custodian of the show-cave, Zeytintaşı boasts the best display of this type of stalactite in Turkey. He´ll also point out to you a plethora of other weird and wonderful formations, from stalagmites resembling Cappadocia´s fairy chimneys, the minarets of a mosque or, more questionably, lizards, bats, elephants and omelets.
There are plenty of conventionally tapered stalactites, stalagmites and dripstones, too, and areas where the white limestone formations have been stained a lurid hue of green by algae. What makes the trip out here really worthwhile, though, is a rippled sheet of rock some two meters long, which hangs from the roof of the cave like a petrified curtain. Not only is it thin and delicate enough to pass as cloth, it is even patterned like a curtain, with precise bands of grey threaded through the base white. Make sure to look around at your feet, as there are occasional dripstone pools, full of crystal-clear, soapy to the touch mineral-rich water.
The cave has been promoted by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture on the grounds that it is less than two hours away from major centers of tourism, but according to Ramazan only a couple of tour groups a week make it to the cave even in the peak season. The cave is, however, becoming quite popular with visitors to the nearby beach resorts who hire mountain bikes. As well as exploring the cave, bikers enjoy the scenic ride from Serik through rich agricultural land into the dramatic foothills of the Toros Mountains where the cave is situated. There´s plenty of walking to be had too, on the maze of tracks that run through the pretty forested hills around. In summer, villagers from nearby Akbaş sell gözleme (a kind of stuffed chapatti) and other traditional foods in a facility adjoining the ticket-booth. Note that Ramazan or another custodian will escort you through the cave. It only takes around 20 minutes and part of the custodian´s role, as well as explaining the story of the cave, is to make sure you do not take photographs, as this could damage the delicate formations.
A round-up of Antalya show caves
According to one source, there are more than 10,000 caves in Antalya province. Here are some of the ones not already mentioned.
Altınbeşik Dudensuyu Mağarası: This large and serious cave is situated above the upper reaches of the Manavgat River, some one hour´s walk from Ürünlü village, near İbradi. Some two-and-a-half kilometers in length and complete with wonderful travertine formations and lakes, it´s considered one of Turkey´s best caves. Unlit.
Damlataş Mağarası: Hollowed out of the great limestone headland on which Alanya Castle sits is this stalagmite and stalactite-filled show cavern. It´s warm, damp interior is a haven for those suffering from respiratory illnesses.
Dimçay Mağarası: Set in the mountains around 11 kilometers behind Alanya, this beautiful show cave, some 360 meters long, is noted for its limestone formations and perfect dripstone pool.
Kocain Mağarası: Reached from the Antalya-Burdur road (about 45 kilometers or an hour´s drive from Antalya) near the village of Karataş, this cave is noted for its large entrance. In places over 30 meters in height, it is in excess of 600 meters long and boasts some large stalactites as well as cisterns and other signs of ancient human habitation. Unlit
