Incirli Cave


Useful Information

Location: Cinarli, Near Iskele, North Cyprus
Open: All year Sun.
Other times get key from Muhtar (mayor) of Cinarli.
[2010]
Fee: yes.
[2010]
Classification: SpeleologyGypsum Cave
Light: LightIncandescent
Dimension: L=250 m.
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address: Incirli Cave.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
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History

1995 electric light and opened to the public.

Description

Incirli Cave is named after the fig trees which grow at the cave entrance. Their fruit is locally said to have healing powers. But the cave was named so because of the following legend.

According to legend the cave has been discovered by goat theives, which hid their goats inside the cave. When the villagers tried to follow the goats they simply disappeared at the fig tree. So the police set up an ambush at this place, but the thieves arrived at midnight and vanished again at the fig tree. In the morning the police and the villagers searched the area and discovered the cave entrance, but when they entered the cave to arrest the thieves and get back the goats, the cave was empty. There is a rumour, that the thieves escaped using a second entrance close to the village of Altinova. But this entrance has never been found.

Cyprus has numerous areas with gypsum, and several gypsum caves. This one is said to be the longest of them. It is more or less a single passage, some five to ten meters wide and up to seven meters high. The cave has selenite crystals and other gypsum related speleothems, but also stalactites and stalagmites.

The cave was used in the 1950s and 1960s by EOKA terrorists as a hideout.