Cehennemağzı Caves

According to the myth, Heracles finished the hardest of the twelve labours set by King Eurystheus right here: he went down to the realm of Hades and brought the three-headed hound Cerberus, guardian of hell, up to the surface. Three caves standing side by side in the centre of Karadeniz Ereğli are tied to the story, and local people call them Cehennemağzı, the mouth of hell.

Overview

The caves lie in the area known in antiquity as the Acheron Valley, and they were in use in the Roman and Byzantine periods. Archaeological writing also calls them the oracle caves. Ereğli’s history reaches back to about 2500 BC, and the town takes its name from Heracles. Later, to tell it apart from other towns of the same name, it was called Herakleia Pontika, Heraclea on the Black Sea.

A coincidence of names is often pointed out: in 1829 the burning stone, hard coal, was found at Ereğli, which fits the hellish associations oddly well.

Natural features

The caves were opened in volcanic tuff, a soft rock formed when volcanic ash is pressed and hardens. In origin they are natural, but people cut and enlarged the rock to make them usable, so they are partly man-made too.

Church Cave

The first cave has two sections. The floor of the first is covered with a mosaic, a pavement made of small pieces of stone, in plant and geometric patterns. In the east wall of the second section a small apse opens, with stepped platforms in front of it. The cave is said to have served as a hidden place of worship in the early years when Christianity was spreading but still forbidden. Its columns, capitals, mosaic floor and lamp niches carry Early Christian motifs.

Heracles Cave

The second cave is entered through a narrow opening in a slope about ten metres high beside the road, and a vertical ladder of three rungs leads down. It covers roughly 400 square metres and rests on two massive piers.

In the tale, Cerberus barked in front of the cave once he had been brought to the surface, and the foam that fell from his mouth gave rise to aconite, a poisonous plant. The town was named after Heracles in gratitude for the labour he completed here. Locals also know this cave as Koca Yusuf Cave.

Ayazma Cave

The third cave is the widest of the three and has two halls. Groundwater fills one of them; it was held sacred and served in the past as a cistern, a water store, supplying the other two caves and the surrounding area. Festivals use the area on the left side of the entrance for classical concerts.

Visiting

The caves are an archaeological site run by the Karadeniz Ereğli Museum, in the Uzunmehmet neighbourhood in the town centre. For current visiting status, hours and fees, see the page for the site on muze.gov.tr. The MüzeKart is valid for Turkish citizens.