Karain Mağarası

Opening onto the slope of Mount Katran in the Yağca neighbourhood of Döşemealtı, about 30 kilometres northwest of Antalya, Karain Cave is one of the places that recorded Anatolia's prehistory over the longest span of time. It counts among the largest natural caves in Türkiye. According to the ministry's museum page, traces were found here of the first human ancestors, who lived by hunting and gathering and made simple hand tools some 500,000 years ago. The cave offers an unbroken record of the Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic, which makes it rare in the world as well. The cave lies about 150 metres above the travertine plain in front of it and 430-450 metres above sea level. According to the Türkiye Tourism Encyclopedia it formed in Mesozoic limestone and consists of cavities linked by narrow entrances and passages; it is more than 50 metres deep. Its halls and galleries are decorated with stalactites and stalagmites. People used the cave from the Lower Palaeolithic onwards, through the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages, and then in the Classical period. This unbroken use built up a cultural deposit about eleven metres thick inside. Excavations began in 1946 under Prof. Dr. Kılıç Kökten, who found the cave, and continued under his direction until 1973. The second phase of excavations was carried out from 1985 to 2015 under Prof. Dr. Işın Yalçınkaya, and since 2015 the work has been directed by Prof. Dr. Harun Taşkıran. Kökten divided the deposit into eight layers and thirteen phases. Electron spin resonance dating of the Middle Palaeolithic layer gave dates between 160,000 and 60,000 years before present. Today's work concentrates on two of the cave's chambers, called E and B; of the roughly eleven-metre deposit in chamber E, the part containing Lower Palaeolithic levels is only four metres thick. Karain is described as the Palaeolithic site that has been studied for the longest time in Türkiye. The most striking finds are a human tooth and a skull fragment of Neanderthal type, which are among the evidence that Neanderthals lived in Anatolia. The cave also yielded remains of animals that no longer live in Anatolia, such as rhinoceros, elephant and hippopotamus. The encyclopedia adds lion, hyena, bear, horse, deer and wild goat. Burnt bone fragments show that the people who lived in the cave used fire. The Lower Palaeolithic layers produced bifacial stone tools such as hand axes, and later periods produced finer stone and bone tools, beads and portable art counted among the earliest known examples of Anatolian art. In the Classical period the cave was used mainly as a place of votive offerings. Greek inscriptions and niches can be seen on the entrance face and the outer walls. According to the ministry's museum page, Roman votive inscriptions suggest that the cave was dedicated to a mountain goddess. When you reach the entrance, look up at these niches carved into the rock; they are the traces of the cave's long life after prehistory. Part of the finds from the excavations is displayed in the Karain Museum right next to the cave, and part in the prehistory section of the Antalya Museum. Starting the visit at the museum makes it easier to understand the layers you will see inside. In 1997 the cave was declared a first-degree archaeological and natural protected site. Together with the other caves around it, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List since 1994 for its natural and cultural values. Other caves such as Öküzini and Çakırini, and the ancient city of Termessos, are also nearby. The cave entrance is reached from the visitor reception point by a stairway of 470 steps, so climb slowly and bring water. Inside it is cool and dim in places; wear shoes that do not slip. According to the Culture Portal the cave can be reached by private vehicle; you turn west off the Antalya-Burdur road at the Karain sign. According to the official museum page the site is open every day and the MüzeKart is valid for citizens of Türkiye. Check the official website for current opening hours and fees.