OBRUK
Cave explorations, underground heritage inventories and joint projects since 2009.
OngoingUnder a protocol signed with the Municipality of Ürgüp, the underground cities, rock-cut settlements and tunnels within the district are being documented, surveyed and entered into GIS — so that this heritage, threatened by rapid construction, can be recorded and protected.
Municipality of Ürgüp
Long-termUnderground cities, rock-cut settlements, churches and dovecotes have been surveyed across the whole province of Kayseri; more than 29 underground cities and countless rock-cut settlements were discovered. Our work in the Koramaz Valley contributed to its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. Seven interim reports have been published.
Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, ÇEKÜL Foundation
Reports: Kayseri 1st Interim Report · Kayseri 2nd Interim Report · Kayseri 3rd Interim Report · Kayseri 4th Interim Report · Kayseri 5th Interim Report – Koramaz Valley · Kayseri 6th Interim Report · Kayseri 7th Interim Report
Long-termNone of Cappadocia's underground cities — not even those open to tourism — had a detailed plan. Derinkuyu, Mazıköy, Tatlarin and Saint Mercurius (Saratlı) were surveyed level by level and mapped.
Nevşehir and Aksaray Museum Directorates
CompletedHundreds of man-made caves beneath the old town, the water distribution chambers known as "kastel" and the "livas" channels connecting them were surveyed, mapped and overlaid onto the city map. The livas and kastels were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2018.
Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, ÇEKÜL Foundation
Reports: Gaziantep 2012 – Underground Structures Report · "Culture Above and Below – Gaziantep" Photo Exhibition
CompletedNatural and artificial caves on both banks of the Euphrates, which flows through limestone below the Atatürk Dam, were located, surveyed and mapped from Kızılin village to Halfeti.
CompletedA joint project produced the first complete survey of Turkey's most visited show cave. The surveyed length passed 10 km, making Insuyu the longest known cave in Turkey.
İTÜMAK, BÜMAK, ASPEG, Cave Conservation Branch
Reports: Insuyu Cave Report
CompletedThree summer expeditions in Keş Mountain Sinkhole (Döngel, Kahramanmaraş) reached a depth of -728 m and a length of 1,801 m, placing it among the deepest caves in Turkey. The work was featured in National Geographic and Atlas magazines.
CompletedThe cave inventory of Küre Mountains National Park was completed in cooperation with the General Directorate of National Parks and published as "Caves of Küre Mountain".
General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks
Reports: Caves of Küre Mountain
CompletedThe richest area in our inventory: the sinkholes and caves of northern Kahramanmaraş were explored and mapped, and the region's hydrogeology studied.
General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks
Reports: Kahramanmaraş Region Report
Group members investigated the structures beneath Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace in a project led by Dr. Çiğdem Aygün. The work was featured in National Geographic.
Project leader Dr. Çiğdem Aygün
Circle size shows the number of mapped cave records in each province. Provinces with projects are marked in lamp amber.
