Buk û Zava
Buk û Zava is an as yet unexplored cave system on one of the cliffs on the Euphrates River in Turkey . It is located near Sırataşlar , a Kurdish village in Halfeti (southeastern Anatolia), in the province of Şanlıurfa .
The name Buk û Zava is Kurdish and means "bride and groom" . The grotto system has nine floors and is about 40 meters high. The outlines of two people who were referred to by the locals as the bridal couple are carved into the inner wall of one floor.
The Buk û Zava grotto system, which consists of (mostly) vertical cave passages, has two entrances. The main entrance is two-story and is on the river bank. The second entrance is a little higher and can be reached via a stone staircase carved into the limestone ground. The stairs are about 15 m long and have about 30 steps.
What is striking about Buk û Zava is its external appearance: an orange-rusty arch marks the point through which the grotto system runs. This color was probably caused by the oxidation of the limestone surface that was worked by man.
The purpose and age of the system are unknown.
Individual evidence
- ↑ kenthaber.com: Halfeti Gezgin Gözüyle ( Memento of the original from September 9, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed May 19, 2008
