Ali Yamaç - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Books by Ali Yamaç

This book is a first in its own way. As a result of more than two years of cooperation with the G... more This book is a first in its own way. As a result of more than two years of cooperation with the General Directorate of National Parks, a cave inventory of a national park has been prepared for the first time in Turkey. The amazing canyons, caves, sinkholes, and waterfalls give the Küre Mountains National Park the reputation it deserves today and the unique vegetation and wildlife that complement them.

This national park, located in northwestern Turkey, covers an area of 370 sq km. In addition, an area of about 800 sq km around this national park has been recognized as a buffer zone. With 125 caves discovered and surveyed so far, Küre Mountains National Park is one of the national parks with the greatest number of caves and has a worldwide significance simply because of this feature. This book provides a complete inventory of these caves.

Rock-cut Architecture and Underground Cities in Koramaz Valley of Kayseri, Turkey

Double Cave Maps of Turkey, 2024

Kayseri Yeraltı Yapıları Envanteri Altıncı Ara Rapor, 2022

I k i n c i B a s k ı 2 0 2 2 2. BASKIYA ÖNSÖZ Bu küçük kitabın iki yıl önceki ilk baskısının gir... more I k i n c i B a s k ı 2 0 2 2 2. BASKIYA ÖNSÖZ Bu küçük kitabın iki yıl önceki ilk baskısının giriş kısmının sonunda şöyle yazmıştım: "Ümit ve dileğim bu sayının artık daha fazla artmaması diyeceğim ama, ne yazık ki, hergün yeni raporlar keşfediyoruz ve yeni çizilmiş haritaların daha önceden çizilmiş eski versiyonlarına ulaşıyoruz". Keşke sorun bununla kısıtlı kalsa idi. Geçen zaman içinde eski kaynakları araştırarak yeni "Çift Haritalar" bulmamızın yanısıra, farklı ekipler eski mağara haritalarının yenilerini çizmeye devam ettiler, daha önce haritalanmış bazı mağaraları da yeniden keşfettiler! Bir önceki baskıda 69 mağaraya ait 157 farklı harita varken bu sayı geçtiğimiz iki yıl içinde 75 mağara ve 174 haritaya çıktı. Hal böyle olanda bu kitaba yeni bir edisyon yapmak şart oldu. Bu bahane ile önceki baskıdaki birçok hatamı düzeltirken altı yeni "Çift Harita" daha eklemenin üzüntüsünü yaşadım. Bir önceki baskıdaki yorumlarım ile ilgili bana ulaşan eleştirilerin bir kısmı gerçekten yapıcı idi ve bu hatalarımı da elimden geldiğince düzelttim. Diğer yandan, mağaracılığımızın kanayan yarası olan "kulüp fanatizmi" tarzındaki eleştirileri ise fazla dikkate almadım. Görünen o ki geçtiğimiz 50-60 yıl boyunca mağaracılığımızın temel faaliyeti aynı mağaranın yeni bir haritasını çizmekten ileri gidemiyor. Bir sonraki baskıda görüşmek dileğiyle ...

TÜRKİYE MAĞARALARININ ÇİFT HARİTALARI, 2020

GAZİANTEP YERALTI YAPILARI 2020 RAPORU, 2020

Kayseri Yeraltı Yapıları Envanteri Beşinci Ara Rapor

Kayseri Yeraltı Yapıları Envanteri Dördüncü Ara Rapor, 2018

Kayseri Yeraltı Yapıları Envanteri Üçüncü Ara Rapor, 2017

Kayseri Yeraltı Yapıları Envanteri İkinci Ara Rapor, 2016

Kayseri Yeraltı Yapıları Envanteri Birinci Ara Rapor, 2015

Yıllardır söylüyorum: Şehirler kendi imkan ve kabiliyetlerini harekete geçirmek zorundadır. Ankar... more Yıllardır söylüyorum: Şehirler kendi imkan ve kabiliyetlerini harekete geçirmek zorundadır. Ankara'dan gelen parayla şehirlerin kalkınması, kangren olmuş sorunlarına kalıcı çözüm üretmeleri mümkün gözükmüyor.

GAZİANTEP YERALTI YAPILARI ENVANTERİ 2012 RAPORU

Section in Edited Book by Ali Yamaç

Kültepe Koramaz Kayseri , 2024

Gaziantep Livasları, Kastelleri ve Yeraltı Su Yapıları, 2018

Rock-cut Architecture and Underground Cities in Koramaz Valley of Kayseri, Turkey

Double Cave Maps of Turkey, 2024

Kayseri Yeraltı Yapıları Envanteri Altıncı Ara Rapor, 2022

TÜRKİYE MAĞARALARININ ÇİFT HARİTALARI, 2020

GAZİANTEP YERALTI YAPILARI 2020 RAPORU, 2020

Kayseri Yeraltı Yapıları Envanteri Beşinci Ara Rapor

Kayseri Yeraltı Yapıları Envanteri Dördüncü Ara Rapor, 2018

Kayseri Yeraltı Yapıları Envanteri Üçüncü Ara Rapor, 2017

Kayseri Yeraltı Yapıları Envanteri İkinci Ara Rapor, 2016

Kayseri Yeraltı Yapıları Envanteri Birinci Ara Rapor, 2015

GAZİANTEP YERALTI YAPILARI ENVANTERİ 2012 RAPORU

Kültepe Koramaz Kayseri , 2024

Gaziantep Livasları, Kastelleri ve Yeraltı Su Yapıları, 2018

TME Türkiye Mağaraları Envanteri, 2006

OPERA IPOGEA , 2024

Ağırnas Village in Kayseri Province has a long history dating back to Roman times. Under the old ... more Ağırnas Village in Kayseri Province has a long history dating back to Roman times. Under the old houses of this village, there is an underground shelter that covers the entire village. In addition to this vast underground shelter, there is another, separate underground shelter near the village, named ‘Ağırnas Underground City’. While there are shelters in both the village and Koramaz Valley, the reason for the construction of this other shelter is a mystery. In this article, we attempt to reveal this enigma by presenting some of the ﬁndings we have uncovered during our research into this structure.

OPERA IPOGEA, 2024

Immagine delle copertine interne Grotta del cane presso il Lago di Agnano (NA), 1780 circa. Incis... more Immagine delle copertine interne Grotta del cane presso il Lago di Agnano (NA), 1780 circa. Incisione all'acquaforte tratta da:

BAR Publishing eBooks, Oct 31, 2021

This volume represents an overview of different case studies of rock-cut sites and quarries, appr... more This volume represents an overview of different case studies of rock-cut sites and quarries, approached as knots in the network of people-stone interactions. Contributors to this volume are international scholars, all bringing their personal input to the general debate on the matter.

OPERA IPOGEA, 2023

Foto di copertina Particolare del settore occidentale del Buso della Casara (Padova, Veneto) (fot... more Foto di copertina Particolare del settore occidentale del Buso della Casara (Padova, Veneto) (foto M. Romano) Foto quarta di copertina Ingressi del complesso rupestre di Derevank (Kayseri, Turchia) (foto di A. Yamaç) La Rivista è distribuita in abbonamento annuale e inviata in omaggio ai soci sostenitori e ai gruppi associati della SSI ETS www.operaipogea.it/abbonamenti-subscriptions-opera-ipogea Abbonamenti e vendite Fabrizio Milla /

OPERA IPOGEA, 2023

Opera Ipogea, 2021

La rivista viene inviata in omaggio ai soci sostenitori e ai gruppi associati alla SSI

Cappadocia, like many other parts of the world, is loaded with underground defense structures. Th... more Cappadocia, like many other parts of the world, is loaded with underground defense structures. The volcanic tuff, characteristic of the region, is easy to carve through and covers hundreds of square kilometers, thus providing favorable conditions for numerous underground defense structures. Consequently, almost every village in Cappadocia boasts at least one or more rock-cut structures. Although some are small and stand-alone structures, others constitute large and elaborate underground cities, including hundreds of meters-long tunnels and countless rooms. For more than seven years now, the OBRUK Cave Research Group has carried out the Underground Structures Inventory Project in Kayseri province. To date, 33 underground cities have been systematically explored and surveyed. This article begins with an introductory overview of the historical background and research of underground cities in Cappadocia and continues with an account of some of the most telling examples of these structures.

Opera Ipogea, 2021

La rivista viene inviata in omaggio ai soci sostenitori e ai gruppi associati alla SSI

Opera Ipogea, 2019

Despite being the capital of Cappadocia during ancient times, no comprehensive scientific researc... more Despite being the capital of Cappadocia during ancient times, no comprehensive scientific research has been carried out until now in terms of the rock-cut architecture in Kayseri.

Mitteilungen des Verbandes der Deutschen Höhlen- und Karstforscher e.V., 2019

Mitt. Verb. dt. Höhlen-u. Karstforscher 65 (1+2) Mitteilungen des Verbandes der deutschen Höhlen-... more Mitt. Verb. dt. Höhlen-u. Karstforscher 65 (1+2) Mitteilungen des Verbandes der deutschen Höhlen-und Karstforscher e. V.

Although the region known as “Cappadocia” is currently a part of Nevşehir Province of Anatolia (T... more Although the region known as “Cappadocia” is currently a part of Nevşehir Province of Anatolia (Turkey), the capital of Cappadocia in ancient times was the neighboring antique Caesarea which is known as Kayseri today. As the same in Nevşehir, in antique Caesarea the volcanic tuff as dug by the local people. Houses, churches, and protective underground settlements were excavated into those rocks and a troglodyte civilization had been established. Some of the most interesting structures realized by digging rocks are probably the ‘underground shelters’. These structures used for defense purposes, are frequently found throughout Cappadocia. The most important characteristics of these structures are evident in the living spaces and warehouses, connected by underground tunnels and equipped with millstones doors to protect the structures. Twentynine previously unknown underground shelters were explored and surveyed to date in Kayseri Province, since we began Inventory of Underground Structures of Kayseri Project in January 2014. After two years of survey in and around Kayseri city, we started to survey in Tomarza District. This article describes eight different underground shelters in that district that were explored and surveyed to date.

The region known as Cappadocia and located today in the borders of four provinces, has witnessed ... more The region known as Cappadocia and located today in the borders of four provinces, has witnessed continuous settlement from prehistoric times up to now. Tuffaceous rocks spewing out of the active volcanos in the late Pliocene and Pleistocene period in the region were used for many different purposes such as houses, barns, churches, etc. There are even underground cities for shelter and defence. Yet, one of the most interesting underground artificial caves of the region is, without any doubt, the tunnel, which is supposed to be used to divert Kızılırmak River (antique name Halys), located in Sarıhıdır Village near Avanos. The aim of digging the tunnel should have been to build a ford or a shallow point in order to cross the main stream of Halys. The age of the tunnel is unknown but a text from Herodotus reports the use of a deviation of Halys by Croesus’ army in 550 BC to attack the city of Pteria, in the Persian kingdom of Cyrus. The conception is attributed to Thales. Its location helps to precise the geography of the road network in the Antiquity. During the exploration of the whole area, 16 different dwellings located above the deviation tunnel were also explored and surveyed. Three of these dwellings were natural caves which were partly fitted out and inhabited. Among the remaining 13 artificial dwellings, a large caravanserai (or a guarding post), several cisterns and graves are important items to mention.

Publication Date: 2014

The region known today with its ancient name as "Cappadocia" includes the Turkish provinces of Ne... more The region known today with its ancient name as "Cappadocia" includes the Turkish provinces of Nevsehir, Aksaray and Kayseri. In this region, different underground structures such as houses, barns and churches were excavated by the locals for centuries in the tuffaceous rocks spewed out of volcanoes active in the late Pliocene and Pleistocene period. However, the most interesting of these structures are, without doubt, the underground shelters. These structures, carved for defensive purposes probably between 7 th to 12 th centuries, are found in almost every part of Cappadocia. There are more than 200 examples identified to date in the region. Only a small part of those hypogea have been surveyed so far. In this study, we will examine two different unpublished rock-cut shelters at the ancient settlement of Golgoli near Sinasos (Mustafapaşa). Even though it is quite close to touristic Cappadocia, Mustafapaşa is one of the neglected settlements in this region. On the other hand, this settlement shares similar geomorphological formations with the rest of the region and there are countless rock-cut dwellings in its surroundings.

Today, the region known with its ancient name as "Cappadocia" includes the Turkish provinces of N... more Today, the region known with its ancient name as "Cappadocia" includes the Turkish provinces of Nevsehir, Aksaray and Kayseri. In this region, different underground structures such as houses, barns and churches were excavated by the locals for centuries in the tuffaceous rocks spewed out of volcanoes active in the late Pliocene and Pleistocene period. However, the most interesting of these structures, without a doubt, are the underground shelters. These structures, carved for defensive purposes probably between 7 th and 12 th centuries, are found in almost every part of Cappadocia. Thus far, only a small part of those hypogea have been surveyed. This article describes surveys and explorations conducted by OBRUK Cave Research Group on Doğanli (Forty Steps) Underground Shelter located at a fairly remote place in the south of Kayseri, the capital of ancient Cappadocia. key wordS: Cappadocia, Kayseri, Doğanlı, underground shelter Riassunto Rifugi sotteRRanei di doğanli (CapadoCia -tuRChia) Oggi, la regione conosciuta con il nome antico di "Cappadocia" comprende le province turche di Nevsehir, Aksaray e Kayseri. In questa regione diverse strutture sotterranee, come case, stalle e chiese sono state scavati dalla popolazione locale per secoli nelle rocce tufacee prodotte dai vulcani attivi nel tardo Pliocene e nel Pleistocene. Tuttavia, le più interessante tra queste strutture, senza dubbio, sono i rifugi sotterranei. Queste opere, scavate a scopo difensivo, probabilmente tra VII e XII secolo, si trovano in quasi ogni parte della Cappadocia. Finora, solo una piccola parte di questi ipogei è stata rilevata e documentata scientificamente. Questo articolo descrive le indagini e le esplorazioni condotte dall'OBRUK Cave Research Group nel rifugio sotterraneo di Doğanlı ("quaranta passi") situato in un luogo abbastanza remoto nel sud della provincia di Kayseri, la capitale dell'antica Cappadocia. parole chiaVe: Cappadocia, Kayseri, Doğanlı, rifugio sotterraneo

Although the region known as "Cappadocia" is located in the Nevşehir-Ürgüp-Göreme triangle of Ana... more Although the region known as "Cappadocia" is located in the Nevşehir-Ürgüp-Göreme triangle of Anatolia (Turkey), the capital of that region in ancient times was the antique Caesarea city which is known as Kayseri today. As the same in Nevşehir-Ürgüp-Göreme triangle, in antique Caesarea the volcanic tuff which was piled up by the active volcanoes around was dug by the local people. Houses, churches, protective underground settlements were built into those rocks and a troglodyte civilization had been established. Different from the known touristic places of Cappadocia, the rock dwellings and underground settlements of Kayseri region have not been investigated. Nevertheless, underground structures of that region have such an architectural quality to compete with the dwellings in other parts of Cappadocia. After the 3rd century Kayseri was the cradle of Christianity in Anatolia and there are several underground cities around this city carved in order to protect Christians from the invasions and raids beginning from the 7th century. We find new and unexplored underground cities on every spot around Kayseri. Apart from several rock settlements, several underground cities on the walls of deep valleys around the city, which were unknown and not recorded before, had been explored and surveyed. Those underground cities are rather different than the ones around the touristic Cappadocia. Apart from the architectural differences, at least some of them were not used again after the first construction period, whilst in other cases even the excavation of the underground city is uncompleted. When appreciated in this context, the underground cities of Kayseri have features to shed light on the beginning of this type of architecture, which is different from Goreme, where most examples were continuously enlarged and new passages added during the history. In this article, Belagasi cave dwellings of Kayseri and four different underground cities in the area will be explained in detail.

Mimar Sinan (Sinan the Architect) is the most important architect of the Ottoman Empire with arou... more Mimar Sinan (Sinan the Architect) is the most important architect of the Ottoman Empire with around 400 structures of historical and cultural value he had built. This extraordinary architect who lived under the reign of four Ottoman sultans and constructed buildings for three sultans was born in 1489 in a small village of Kayseri; Agirnas. It is known that Sinan was taken under the Ottoman service at the age of 22 and brought to Istanbul. He spent the rest of his life in Istanbul and died at the age of 99 in 1588. The house he was born in Agirnas was restored and turned into a museum. Below this house, there is a very impressive and complex underground city which expands to double storey. As it can be understood from hundreds of cave dwellings that exist in the nearby valleys, Agirnas Village is an old settlement and it has a gigantic underground city complex. As OBRUK Cave Research Group, our research within the scope of "Kayseri Underground Structures Inventory Project" started with the underground city below Sinan the Architect's house in Agirnas and has revealed that this underground city continues below the neighbor houses. Even though it is not possible to determine the first construction date, it is obvious that this structural complex is at least 500 years old and it shows us that the village has a gigantic underground city complex dug below the houses with a purpose of defense. This article will try to explain the architectural features of this underground city complex that covers almost this entire antique village in Agirnas, which is under the house of Sinan the Architect and connected to other houses; and the transformation of this structure from a defensive one to the daily usage during the centuries will be examined.

HYPOGEA, 2023

bedrock on the eastern slope of the castle. When we started the 'Gaziantep Underground Structures... more bedrock on the eastern slope of the castle. When we started the 'Gaziantep Underground Structures Inventory Project' in 2012, these dwellings surrounding the entire east side of the hill were completely filled with rubble and clogged. A few years later, when a project was made to clear these rock-cut dwellings and open them for tourism, we objected that such an arrangement would reduce the static resistance of the structure. Even if this part of the hill is solid rock, the top cover is all soil, and even if these dwellings did not collapse, it could lead to erosion of the top cover. Despite all our objections, these dwellings were cleared and opened to tourism, and two years later, we are very sorry to see how right we were in our objections (Fig. 7). Archaeological Excavations Artifacts dating to around 3750 BC were found during the archaeological excavations carried out in four different trenches between 2003 and 2005 in the south corner of the castle. According to these findings, the mound dates to the Early Bronze Age. Although the upper layers yield finds starting in the Middle Ages, there are layers immediately below that date to the Early Chalcolithic Age and the Early Bronze Age. Excavations carried out in 2004, starting from the level where the layers belonging to the latest phase of the Early Bronze Age are located, showed that there was a dense settlement in the mound dating to this period. These excavations, which were carried out on a 35-40 degree incline, probably both increased the erosion and decreased the resistance of the castle walls above the trenches. Earthquakes The East Anatolian Fault (EAF), with a length of more than 800 km from the Iskenderun Bay to Karlıova in the northeast, passes 70 km west of Gaziantep. EAF, one of the three longest faults in Anatolia, and produced countless earthquakes throughout history. In the earthquake that completely destroyed Zeitun and Elbistan in January 1544, Gaziantep also suffered great damage. Another earthquake that took place on January 21, 1626, is probably one of the biggest earthquakes that the entire Southeastern Anatolia has ever experienced. In the earthquake that took place on October 22, 1822, many buildings in the city, as well as the places belonging to the Late Ottoman Period built inside the castle were destroyed. The castle was largely destroyed again by two consecutive earthquakes of magnitude 7.8 and 7.4 on February 6, 2023 (Fig. 7).

HYPOGEA, 2023

Structures carved in the rock for purposes of war or refuge are known all over the world and in e... more Structures carved in the rock for purposes of war or refuge are known all over the world and in every age. Cappadocia, in the middle of Turkey, is one of the places where such structures are most widespread and articulated, facilitated by very favourable geological and morphological conditions. The historical events that may have pushed the populations resident in this territory to dig this type of structures are numerous and distributed over a very large period of time. However, in view of a compelling set of clues listed here, the period that most justifies the expansion of a system of underground shelters is that of the Arab raids that afflicted the Byzantine territory between the middle of the 7th and early 11th centuries AD. The organization of all the shelters in Cappadocia seems to comply with a common design, then varied according to local needs. Each project includes a basic unit consisting of a residential or utilitarian part, and a composite set of devices for the defence of a more internal area in which are preponderant heavy stone doors in the shape of a millstone. The set of units can form well organized systems, which sometimes extend even for kilometres, corresponding to surface villages, or integrated in ancient rock-cut dwellings. Currently, these structures are locally called "underground cities", regardless of their size and their actual function, but it would be appropriate to identify them as "underground shelters" ", or more generically as "underground settlements".

HYPOGEA, 2023

Cappadocia, in Central Turkey, is a region particularly rich in structures excavated by man, espe... more Cappadocia, in Central Turkey, is a region particularly rich in structures excavated by man, especially in Byzantine times, but also earlier, then reworked in Seljuk and Ottoman times. One of most evident elements consists of thousands of rock-cut dovecotes, widely distributed in the peculiar tabular rocky outcrops and in the pinnacles formed by soft tuff. According to the sources found until now, they were mainly used for collecting the dung useful for fertilizing the plots cultivated in the valleys. Since the early 20th century, with the advent of chemical fertilizers, the dovecotes have been almost completely abandoned. Some are still intact, identified by small entrances and flight windows of various shapes, overlooking from high rock faces, on purpose smoothed, often whitewashed and decorated. Others were cut by the collapse of the external walls and show overlapping rows of niches for nesting carved in the internal rooms; most of them have arched or quadrangular mouths, rarely triangular, with perches of various type. They were reachable by means of portable ladders and/or footholds carved into the vertical rock faces, not easy to access: for this reason the collection of dung was carried out only once or twice a year, sometimes every two years. A number of dovecotes comes from the modification of pre-existing rock-cut structures, often churches, abandoned with the arrival of the Seljuks in the 11th century, and then of the Ottomans, but also in relatively recent times, at the beginning of the 20th century. In this case, the entrances at ground level, walled with stones, and partially removed and reset only once a year, were much less risky for operators. A peculiar type of dovecote, consisting of underground chambers surmounted by masonry towers, from the top of which the birds entered, has been documented in a single valley near Kayseri, the ancient Caesarea, capital of the Roman province of Cappadocia, around the 1st century AD.

HYPOGEA, 2023

Cappadocia is a historical land, located in the centre of Turkey, over time inhabited by differen... more Cappadocia is a historical land, located in the centre of Turkey, over time inhabited by different populations, from the Hittites to the Romans and the Byzantines, for centuries attached by Arabs, after the 11th century conquered by the Seljuk Turks, and then by the Ottomans. This land is known worldwide for its volcanic landscape shaped into extraordinary tuff morphologies and, above all, for its ancient settlements carved into the rock, consisting of shelters, churches and dwellings and, of course, rural facilities, including thousands of rock-cut pigeon houses. Their conformation has been documented, analyzed and described in various articles, to which we refer. Here we want to consider the information gathered from historical and oral sources on the past intended use of these structures, now almost completely abandoned, designed for the breeding of pigeons, mainly for the purpose of collecting their droppings as fertilizer for crop. It seems, they were sometimes included in the marriage dowry. Assumptions about other uses are not documented with certainty. It is also considered the possibility, still open to debate, that part of the dovecotes originated from burial chambers of Roman times to receive the ashes of the dead. We try also to provide information and suggestion about the possible epoch of their excavation and use.

HYPOGEA 2023

Gaziantep Castle is located in southeastern Anatolia, in the center of Gaziantep city, on a 35 m ... more Gaziantep Castle is located in southeastern Anatolia, in the center of Gaziantep city, on a 35 m high hill. Most of the hill is natural, but there is a mound dating to the Early Bronze Age in the southwest corner of the castle. Artifacts dating to around 3750 BC were found during the excavations carried out between 2003 and 2005 in four different trenches. Although the first construction date of the castle is not known, it has been understood by archaeological excavations that it was built as a watchtower between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD and took its current form in the 6th century AD. On the other hand, the most interesting structures of Gaziantep Castle are not on top of this hill, but inside it. The tunnels, which start with two different entrances on the northwest outskirts of the hill, continue both downwards and upwards towards the castle, and there are two cisterns at the deepest point. These structures were explored and surveyed within the scope of the "Gaziantep Underground Structures Inventory Project", which we started as the OBRUK Cave Research Group in 2012. Apart from this, there are defensive tunnels on the southwest outskirts of the hill and many rock-cut dwellings on the eastern side of the hill. Gaziantep Castle, which has been destroyed many times over the past centuries, was seriously damaged by two consecutive earthquakes of magnitude 7.8 and 7.4 on February 6, 2023. In this presentation, the underground structures of Gaziantep Castle will be explained. Also, it will be discussed how the recent earthquake's devastation was effected by archaeological excavations, modifications made to underground structures, and inadequate castle restorations.

HYPOGEA 2023

It has long been known that Gaziantep is home to numerous limestone-excavated underground structu... more It has long been known that Gaziantep is home to numerous limestone-excavated underground structures. Some of the subterranean spaces are now yarn ateliers, while others were originally used as cisterns or storage areas. Despite being a big and intricate system, underground water structures are another crucial aspect of our survey. This water supply system consists of a network of canals cut into limestone rock called "livas" in the area. It is similar with the "qanat" or "karez" system, which was invented in Persia between 2000 and 3000 years ago and is still in use in many countries today. On the other hand, another underground structure built for public usage and locally known as "qastel" is a unique structure of Gaziantep. With their washing places, pools, and toilets, six remaining "qastels" are the only examples of public underground water usage. As OBRUK Cave Research Group, we started the "Gaziantep Underground Structures Inventory Project", in 2012. This project involves researching, surveying, mapping, and documenting all the underground and rock-cut structures found in Kayseri province. It is carried out in accordance with a triple protocol with the Foundation for the Protection and Promotion of the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ÇEKÜL) and Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality. These underground water structures were explored and surveyed within the scope of this project. In this article, the research of one of these six qastels, Ahmet Çelebi Qastel, and the problems in the restoration process are explained.

HYPOGEA, 2023

The rock-cut architecture of Kayseri (Caesarea, Mazaca), which served as Cappadocia's capital thr... more The rock-cut architecture of Kayseri (Caesarea, Mazaca), which served as Cappadocia's capital throughout the Roman and Byzantine eras, has not been thoroughly studied until lately. The OBRUK Cave Research Group started working on the "Kayseri Underground Structures Inventory Project" in January 2014 to fill this gap. This project involves researching, surveying, mapping, and documenting all the underground and rock-cut structures found in Kayseri province. It is carried out in accordance with a triple protocol with the Foundation for the Protection and Promotion of the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ÇEKÜL) and Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality. Throughout the previous nine years, a total of 32 researches have been carried out in this province. As a result, 47 previously unknown Byzantine rock-cut churches, 40 underground shelters, 3 underground aqueducts, and 10 Assyrian tin mines have been explored and surveyed. In addition, within the five cliff settlement villages explored, a total of 476 different rock-cut dwellings were surveyed and inventoried for the first time. Also, within our proposal, the Koramaz Valley, which is the region's most important cultural and historical value, has been added to the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Several details on the ongoing project in the area were published in various articles. Our aim in this presentation is to provide a summary of the entire project and all the findings without going into excessive detail.

18. International Congress of Speleology, Lyon-France, 2021

Caves of the western Taurus mountains have been explored since the middle of the 20 th century by... more Caves of the western Taurus mountains have been explored since the middle of the 20 th century by different groups from various countries. Following expeditions of the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000, two major expeditions were organized in 2016 and 2019 in the Western part of the Taurus Mountains, in partnership with a Turkish team from the OBRUK collective. These last projects made it possible to discover more than 250 additional caves ranging from 10 to 250 m deep. Including the results from the past expeditions, this area now entails more than 500 caves over an area of about 500 km 2. Ranging at relatively high elevation and formed by thick and compact limestone units from Jurassic to Cretaceous, these mountains offer an interesting potential for long and deep caves. he depth potential is about 1'000 m but the main difficulty for the exploration is related to snow as a large amount can penetrate and accumulate to great depths. This finally turns into ice blocking the passage. Recent works offer a synthesis overview of the caves discovered through the different expeditions in the region located between Gündoğmuş and Akseki (the so-called Geyik Dagi massif). Résumé Récentes explorations dans le massif du Taurus occidental, Turquie. Les cavités du Taurus occidental sont explorées depuis la seconde moitié du 20 ème siècle par des groupes de différentes nationalités. Dans la suite des expéditions des années 1970, 80, 90 et 2000, deux expéditions ont été organisés en 2016 et 2019 en collaboration avec le collectif turc OBRUK. Elles ont permis de découvrir plus de 250 cavités de 10 à 250 m de profondeur. Avec les résultats des expéditions précédentes, la zone (500 km 2) compte plus de 500 cavités. Le massif de haute altitude et formé d'épaisses unités calcaires du Jurassique et du Crétacé offre un potentiel important pour de longues et profondes cavités. Théoriquement, le potentiel de profondeur dépasse 1000 m, mais en raison des fortes accumulations de neige dans les cavités, il est difficile d'atteindre les grandes profondeurs. En effet, la neige se transforme en glace et bloque la continuité des passages. Ces travaux récents offrent une synthèse des connaissances dans cette région localisée entre Gündoğmuş et Akseki (massif de Geyik Dagi).

7. SPELEOLOJİ KONGRESİ - İZMİR, 2014

Türkiye'nin uzun ve derin mağaralarında çalışan, az sayıda mağaracının bir araya gelmesi ile oluş... more Türkiye'nin uzun ve derin mağaralarında çalışan, az sayıda mağaracının bir araya gelmesi ile oluşmuş OBRUK Mağara Araştırma Grubu, bu önemli faaliyetlerinin yanı sıra uzun soluklu yeraltı yapıları projeleri ile de tanınmıştır. Ekibimizin yeraltı yapılarına yönelik çalışmaları 2008-2009 yıllarında Dr. Çiğdem Aygün yönetimindeki bir proje kapsamında Ayasofya ve Topkapı Sarayı yeraltı yapılarının araştırılması, ölçülüp haritalanması ile başladı. Bu proje kapsamında İstanbul'un "Tarihi Yarımada" olarak bilinen bu bölgesinde 32 sarnıç ölçülüp haritalanmış ve çoğu Ayasofya'nın altında, toplam uzunluğu 2.000 m'ye ulaşan tünel/kanal keşfedilip ölçülmüştür. Bu proje ve ardından, Mart 2009 tarihinde Hasankeyf yeraltı yapılarında sürdürdüğümüz diğer bir çalışmamız dergilerde yayımlandı. Ardından, Ekim 2011 tarihinde ÇEKÜL Vakfı ile yapılan görüşme sonucu kendisine Gaziantep'in yeraltı yapılarının araştırılması için bir proje taslağı sunulmuş, projenin onaylanması sonucu Ocak 2012 tarihinde bu şehrin yeraltı yapılarının araştırılması, envanterlenmesi, haritalanması projesine başlanılmıştır. Yaklaşık bir yıl süren bu çalışma sırasında Gaziantep'te 46 yeraltı yapısı araştırılmıştır. Çalışılan yerler arasında 90.000 m 2 den büyük alanı ile Türkiye'nin en büyük yeraltı yapılarından birisi olan Mezarlık Mağaraları gibi ilginç yapıların yanı sıra Gaziantep için tarihsel değeri büyük olan su kanalları ve kastel denilen yeraltı su kullanım mekânları da mevcuttu. Gaziantep çalışmalarının yanı sıra aynı tarihlerde Urfa, Halfeti'den Gümüşkaya Köyü'ne dek Fırat Nehri kenarında yer alan kaya yerleşimlerinin envanterlenmesi projesini de sürdürmekte idik. Hala devam etmekte olan bu çalışma sırasında bölgede yer alan yüzlerce kaya yerleşimi tek tek araştırılmakta, ölçülmekte ve haritalanıp envanterlenmektedir. Bu çalışmalarımız sırasında Nevşehir Müze'sinin talebi üzerinde Derinkuyu, Mazıköy, Tatlarin ve Aziz Mercurius yeraltı şehirlerini tekrar ölçüp haritaladık. Tüm bu çalışmalarımız birçok ulusal ve uluslararası kongrede tebliğ olarak sunuldu ve farklı dergilerde yayımlandı. Aralık 2013 tarihinde yapılan ilk görüşmenin ardından Kayseri Büyükşehir Belediyesi ve ÇEKÜL Vakfı ile imzalanan diğer bir protokole istinaden bu şehrin içindeki ve civarında yeraltı yapılarını araştırmaya başladık.

The region known as "Cappadocia" with its ancient name includes the provinces of Nevşehir and Kay... more The region known as "Cappadocia" with its ancient name includes the provinces of Nevşehir and Kayseri in Turkey. Tuffaceous rocks spewing out of the active volcanoes in the late Pliocene and Pleistocene period in this region were used for many different purposes such as houses, barns and churches by the locals for centuries. However, the most interesting of these underground structures are, no doubt, the underground cities. These structures, carved for defensive purposes probably between 7 to 12 th centuries, are available almost in each part of Cappadocia. There are more than 200 underground cities hitherto identified in the region. Only a small part of those underground cities have been searched and only a small part of the searched ones had been opened to tourism. Maps of only 12 underground cities, of which some are only sketches, are available. All of the researches carried out in the region from the beginning of the 20 th century only cover a specific field or subject and, furthermore, a comprehensive survey or a detailed inventory of underground cities has not been executed in Cappadocia up to now. As OBRUK Cave Research Group, we had been invited to survey and map four underground cities of Cappadocia. Among them, Derinkuyu and Tatlarin underground cities were previously surveyed and mapped. Mazikoy and St. Mercurius underground cities have not been surveyed before. Due to our previous underground structure projects, our team had an experience of surveying artificial cavities. Yet, none of those previous projects had tens of chambers at 3, 4 even 5 different floors which were connected to each other through long tunnels.

Birkleyn Caves are in Lice, 25 km north of Diyarbakır, southeastern Turkey. Three of those four c... more Birkleyn Caves are in Lice, 25 km north of Diyarbakır, southeastern Turkey. Three of those four caves, which were very near to each other are dry. But the longest and the most important of them, which is known as "Iskender-i Birkleyn" among locals, is a long, travers cave with a branch of Tigris River flowing inside.

Central Anatolia had been affected by the intensive volcanic activities which began 10 million ye... more Central Anatolia had been affected by the intensive volcanic activities which began 10 million years ago. That eruption phase, which continued even until historical times, piled up more than 100 m of tuff and ignimbrite around Cappadocia. The volcanic rocks were dug by the local people and a great variety of underground settlements were built into the rocks. Antique Caesarea which is known as Kayseri today was the capital of ancient Cappadocia; its underground structures, churches, cave dwellings of Kayseri have not been extensively investigated yet. Around Caesarea, which had been the cradle of Christianity in Anatolia, there is an immense amount of cave dwellings and underground structures. Agirnas is a small village, 15 km east of Caesarea. Establishment date of the village, which is the birthplace of Sinan, the most important architect of the Ottoman Empire during the 16 century, is unknown. Underground of this village is like a cobweb, nearly all the underground shelters below the old houses are interconnected to each other. In addition to this gigantic underground structural system of Agirnas Village, there are tens of cave dwellings in Akbin Valley, 700 meters west of the village. It is thought that some of these structures, dug in the walls of the valley which continues from Agirnas to Dimitri Village for 3 km, were built as Roman rock graves. It is not possible to determine the date and aim of the original dwellings due to their continuous usage for centuries by redesigning , and the destruction caused by the erosions on the valley walls. As OBRUK Cave Research Group, our research within the framework of " Kayseri Underground Structures Inventory Project " started with the underground settlements in the village. Even though it is not possible to determine the first construction date, it is obvious that this structural complex is more than 500 years old and it shows us that the village has a gigantic underground structure dug below the houses with a purpose of defense. Then we continue with Akbin Valley Cave Dwellings survey. We present here a brief conclusion about the hypogea of this village, describing the underground sites and cave dwellings of Agirnas Village and their historical transformation of usage during the centuries.

4. MESS Symposium Antalya, Oct. 2018

There can be several reasonable causes for mapping a cave for a second time: Either there are new... more There can be several reasonable causes for mapping a cave for a second time: Either there are new galleries that are explored and the announcement of those explorations are made with a new map, or the former map of a cave is so erroneous that it became essential to make a new survey. On the other hand, there can be a less reasonable, even a tragicomic third reason for mapping a cave for a second time: Exploring the same cave without being aware of the fact that it was actually explored and mapped before and, on the top of it, mapping it again! In Turkey, many double cave maps are drawn in years for all three causes mentioned above. In this poster session, although the double maps drawn for the first two causes such as Yarimburgaz or Dongel are presented, the main weight is given to the different maps of the same caves that are drawn non-contemporarily and without being aware of each other for many years. It is an interesting fact that; of all the caves, Tinaztepe and Golcuk are re-explored and re-mapped not just twice, but for four times.