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Incili / Büyük Magara |
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For cave maps and drawings please click on the picture... |
For photographs please click on the photo... |
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Type: |
Cave | |||
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Altitude: |
30 m | |||
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Depth: |
m | |||
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Length: |
14 m | |||
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Region: |
Mediterranean | |||
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Province: |
Hatay | |||
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District: |
Samandag | |||
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Village: |
Magaracik | |||
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| Location: This cave is southwest of the city of Antakya; south of the village of Çevlik which is northwest of the town of Samandag. The cave referred to as Büyük Magara (literally "large cave") is only 300 meters from the Kanal Magara Cave. This cave does not have a local name but was nicknamed Incili Magara (literally "cave with pearl") after excavations yielded a pearl. The cave is only 30 meters from the Roman water canal and 100-150 meters from the Mediterranean Sea. |
| Structural Properties and formation : Overviewing the beach of Cevlik; it was formed within the Tertiary period limestones; meandering inward from the coast. It is claimed that it was carved by the waves of the Quaternary sea. It is clean and large. No information is provided about the dimensions. On one side; there is a bond of brickwork due to stone quarrying. The mouth is 6 m high from the sea level. It is considered that there is a 6 m thick deposit inside the cave. |
| Research History: A scientific excavation was carried out in 1970; 1971 and 1973 under the leadership of E.Y. Bostanci. A trench of 400x525 cm was opened in the entrance zone. It was descended down to 499 cm; and subsequently the bedrock was reached. |
| Findings: The leader of the excavation; anyhow; dates the layer 12 to the Upper Palaeolithic Age without any finding of flake stone tools. It is claimed that the people of Upper Palaeolithic Age living in the Kanal Cave used it as a camping site from time to time. This hypothesis is supported by the sea shells pierced and probably used as ornaments as well as the skeletal remains; which are claimed to date back at least 50.000 years. At the bottom layer plenty of sea shells were uncovered together with mushroom stones from Syria. And the pearl that the cave was named after; was also found at these lower layers. |
