Koryk Grottoes
Coordinates: 36 ° 27 ′ 9 ″ N , 34 ° 6 ′ 20 ″ E
The Koryk Grottoes are two sinkholes in Cilicia . They are located near Narlıkuyu on the Turkish south coast, east of Silifke in the Mersin province . They are named after the nearby ancient city of Korykos , today's Kızkalesi , their Turkish name is Cennet ve Cehennem (heaven and hell) , the ancient name is Korykion Antron (Κωρύκ [ε] ιον ἄντρον).
Ancient mentions
The Koryk grottoes have already been mentioned by Strabo , and Pomponius Mela also describes them in detail as “... of a very special nature and more wonderful than one could describe them appropriately. With a wide entrance it opens the summit of the ten stages high mountain. One descends 1500 paces on narrow, rough paths and is filled with astonishment as one is surrounded by green forests, springs and streams below. A river emerges, but immediately disappears again, in the subterranean depths ... "
Emergence
The caves owe their existence to an underground river that also flows underground into the Mediterranean at Narlikuyu. It formed a cave system in the Karst , the ceiling of which collapsed, forming the two sinkholes.
The sky
The southern, larger of the two caves, Cennet , consists of a basin about 100 m wide and 200 m long. It is more than 100 m deep and has 290 steps to climb. On the ground there is a rich vegetation, according to Strabo the best saffron grew here, there is very high humidity. At the end of the descent one can find the remains of a small Lady Chapel from the fifth century. The outer walls have been preserved and an Armenian inscription can be seen on the lintel. Behind it begins the actual cave, called Typhon Cave, which was also considered the entrance to the underworld in ancient times. Another descent is possible over smooth stones, after another 250 m the rushing of the underground river can be heard.
Temple of Zeus
At the top of the cauldron in the south are the remains of a temple of Zeus Olbios or Zeus Korykios from the third century BC. The temple was built in the Doric order with two columns between the ante . 130 names of priests from Hellenistic and Roman times are recorded on the smooth ashlars of the north wall, including an Archelaos, son of Archelaos. According to Serra Durugönül , the father is Archelaos I of Cappadocia , who after 25 BC. Chr. Augustus transferred parts of the Rough Cilicia including the priesthood. This means that the priests can be approximately dated, since a respective term of office of one year can be assumed. To the west of it, remains of a polygonal wall can be seen, the surrounding wall of the inner temple area. In the 4th or 5th century, the temple was converted into a Christian basilica , using large parts of the original masonry.
If you follow the road from Narlıkuyu for another 2.5 kilometers, you will come to the ruins of the Hasanaliler Church .
The hell
100 m further north is Cehennem , a 128 m deep, almost round basin with a diameter of about 50 m. It is not accessible due to the vertical, partially overhanging walls, and there is woodland on the ground. The allegedly low-oxygen or even poisonous air in the depths is said to have already led to fatalities during attempts to climb it.
Dilek cave
Dilek Mağarası, also known as Astım Mağarası (asthma cave) , is about 300 m southwest of the sky . It is a stalactite cave that is said to have healing powers. The cave is 250 m long, 10 to 15 m wide and high and is open to visitors.
mythology
According to Greek mythology, the Koryk grottoes were the home of the monster Typhon . In order to get revenge on Zeus for the defeat of the Titans , Gaia united with Tartarus and gave birth to Typhon, a monster with a human upper body, whose abdomen consisted of many snake bodies, with a hundred snake-headed arms. In a fight with Zeus, Typhon cut out his tendons and stole his lightning bolts. He hid Zeus in the Koryk cave, where Hermes found him and replaced the stolen tendons. In re-possession of his lightning bolts, Zeus was finally able to defeat Typhon on the Thracian mountain Haimos and ultimately buried him under the island of Sicily . There the poisonous fiery breath of Typhon still comes to light through the gullet of Mount Etna .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Friedrich Hild, Hansgerd Hellenkemper : Kilikien and Isaurien. Tabula Imperii Byzantini Volume 5. Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1990, ISBN 3-7001-1811-2 , p. 314
- ↑ Strabon 14, 5, 670ff.
- ↑ Pomponius Mela 1, 63 ( German translation ).
- ↑ Serra Durugönül: The rock reliefs in the Rough Kilikien . (= BAR International Series. 511). BAR, Oxford 1989, ISBN 0-86954-652-7 , pp. 58-60
- ^ Libraries of Apollodorus 1, 6, 3.
- ^ Konrad Schwenck : Mythology of the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Semites, Persians, Teutons, and Slavs . Sauerländer, Frankfurt am Main, 1855 on GoogleBooks
literature
- Friedrich Hild , Hansgerd Hellenkemper : Kilikien and Isaurien . Tabula Imperii Byzantini . Vol. 5. Vienna 1990. ISBN 3-7001-1811-2 , pp. 314-315
- Celâl Taşkıran: Silifke (Seleukeia am Kalykadnos) and surroundings. Sim Matbaası, Ankara 1999 pp. 49-51
- Ina Eichner: Early Byzantine houses in Cilicia. Architectural history study of the types of housing in the region around Seleukeia on the Kalykadnos (= Istanbul Research Vol. 52). Wasmuth, Tübingen 2011, pp. 162-185 ISBN 978-3-8030-1773-4 .
