Enchanting Tınaztepe Cave: A Mysterious Meeting of History and Nature

The cave, which was found by French scientist Michel Bakalowichz in Konya Seydişehir, fascinates those who see it. Local and foreign tourists show interest in Tınaztepe Cave, which is one of the longest caves in the world with a length of 22 kilometers in Seydişehir, Konya.

Located at the crossing of the Konya-Antalya Highway over the Taurus Mountains and found by French scientist Michel Bakalowichz in 1968, the cave is an important natural wonder. In addition to stalactites and stalagmites, Tinaztepe Cave offers a different environment to its guests with its unchanging temperature in summer and winter in its open section.

Seydişehir Tınaztepe Cave was built in 1968 by French scientist Michel Bakalowichz; it was first found and the sketch of the caves was made. This sketch was also published by Bilgi Magazine to the world. Dr. Michel Bakalowichz also conducted medical research of the caves; stated that it is a natural treatment environment for asthma disease. Another research group in 1970; Captain Jacques Cousteau's team, German Reinhold Messner, and his colleagues came to the area to investigate Lake Suğla and the underwater resources that feed it. They discovered the connections of the Fası strait and Tınaztepe caves and determined that the underground lakes of this place were 22 km long. The same team photographed the caves with the facilities they had at that time, published geological structure and geological document and their adventure they lived in Germany in a book called Wonders of the World. The length of the cave is 1580 meters and it is a completely horizontal cave except for the 30-meter descent at the end. A transitional climate between the Mediterranean climate and the continental climate prevails in the region. The highest temperature was 36.5 °C and the lowest temperature was –18.4 °C.

The water leaking through the cracks in the ceiling forms ponds inside. The lake at the end of the cave is oversized. Especially in the spring months, the streams and beds fed by snow and rainwater before reaching the lowest level cave; The waterfall and giant cauldron type reveals very interesting images. According to the researches made in its current state,  According to researches, it is rumored that the caves, which have been formed in a long period of about 230 million years, were used in the Roman Period and that the Homanedeis lived here in the first century. In the inner parts of the cave, there are also places where the floor-ceiling height difference increases to 65 meters.

Tınaztepe is of interest not only because of the travertines in it, stalactites and stalagmites, streams and lakes, natural tunnels and rocks that form bridges. At the same time in the cave are found various frogs, bats of different sizes and colors. You can follow the walking track, which is very smooth and safe, with lighting sensitive to human movement and the sound of ney, and you can patiently complete the road without turning back. The deep blue lake you will encounter at the end of the journey will make you very excited and happy.