İnönü Mağaraları

Useful Information

Location:	Yeni, 06844 Güdül/Ankara. From Ankara O-4/E89 north 45 km to K-28 Kızılcahamam exit, 06-82 34 km to Güdül. Turnoff on the right at the gas station before Güdül signposted. (40.219691, 32.244832)
Open:	no restrictions. [2026]
Fee:	free, Parking TRL 100. [2026]
Classification:	Unterirdische Städte
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	İnönü Mağaraları, Tel: +90-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

İnönü Mağaraları (Inonu Caves) is plural, and in this case it is justified, because there are numerous caves carved into the mountainside in different levels. The caves are connected by staircases, and it’s possible to freely visit the site from the parking lot at the Kirmir Çayı. The site is not far from Ankara, at the southern shore of the river built into a vertical cliff face. Located in the İnönü area on the banks of the Kirmir River in Güdül District, Ankara Province, The cave city originates from the Byzantine period and form a community with central church. As the Kirmir Stream has further eroded the base of the cliff over time, some of the staircases leading to the upper levels were damaged. The area around Güdül has been inhabited since prehistoric times, which is proven by numerous archaeological excavations. The Hittites ruled here around 2000 BC and there is a theory that the first caves were built during the Hittite period. The Phrygians dominated this area in the 8th century BC, later it was occupied by the Romans during the spread of Christianity. There are various cross symbols at the entrances to the caves, which most likely means that the Christians were hiding at this place during the Byzantine times.

The former settlement is not an underground city, nevertheless it is a city of cave houses, with all buildings dug into the cliff face. The site is not developed in the sense that there is an entrance fee, and there is no light in the cave. So bring a torch and wear walking shoes and sun protection. The large parking lot has numerous benches with roof, and it seems there are frequent events which are dubbed Esra Ev Yemekleri (Esra's Home-Cooked Meals), which seems to be offered at least on weekends during summer and seem to be quite popular. We thus recommend visiting during the week.

The name İnönü Cave is quite common, there are at least half a dozen in Turkey. "İn Önü" means "at the entrance" or "in front of", which we interpret as a turkish euphemism for a cave with a open portal. In this case there are numerous portals which can be seen from below.