Topkapı Palace
The sultans’ palace on Sarayburnu: courtyards, the Imperial Council, the treasury and the terraces over the water. Dated entry, sold online on its own site.
Cennet and Cehennem Sinkholes
Two vast natural sinkholes on the Mediterranean coast, with a 5th-century chapel, a Hellenistic temple of Zeus and the myth of the monster Typhon.
About the museum
The Cennet (Heaven) and Cehennem (Hell) sinkholes lie about 25 km from Silifke, 2 km north-west of the ancient harbour of Narlıkuyu and 5 km west of Korykos (Kızkalesi). Both formed as underground water slowly dissolved the limestone until the roof collapsed. Cennet is elliptical, 250 by 110 metres across and 70 metres deep, and visitors can descend its floor by a stairway of about 450 steps.
At the bottom, a cave more than 200 metres long opens to the south, and at its mouth stands a small church. This is the Virgin Mary Church of the 5th century, built of ashlar blocks, with an inscription naming a devout man called Paulus as its donor and frescoes of Christ and his disciples in the apse. On the south side of Cennet stand the remains of a Hellenistic Doric temple of Zeus, later turned into a church.
Cehennem, 75 metres to the north, is 128 metres deep, but its overhanging edges make it impossible to descend. According to Greek myth, Zeus held the hundred-headed monster Typhon here for a time before burying him beneath Mount Etna.
Tips
- An audio guide is available on site.
- The descent is steep and the way back is uphill; wear sturdy shoes. The Asthma Cave nearby is covered by the same visit, so ask at the entrance.
Questions
When is Cennet and Cehennem Sinkholes open?
According to the Ministry’s listing it opens at 08:00 and closes at 21:00 (last entry 20:45). Open every day.
Can I buy tickets for Cennet and Cehennem Sinkholes on this site?
No. This site sells no tickets. Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sophia and Dolmabahçe Palace are sold on our sister sites; for Cennet and Cehennem Sinkholes, buy at the ticket office or on the Ministry’s official e-ticket system.
Where is Cennet and Cehennem Sinkholes?
Cennet and Cehennem Sinkholes is in Mersin, Türkiye — Narlıkuyu Mahallesi Hasanaliler Mevkii.
Nearby
Mersin
Kızkalesi (Maiden's Castle) and Korykos
The coastal ruins of ancient Korykos at Kızkalesi, Mersin: a land castle, a necropolis valley and the sea castle offshore, layered with Roman, Byzantine and Armenian history.
Mersin
Kanlıdivane Archaeological Site
An ancient Cilician city built around a huge sinkhole west of Mersin, with churches, olive workshops, cisterns and a Roman road.
Mersin
Silifke Atatürk House and Ethnography Museum
A 1914 stone-and-timber house in Silifke where Atatürk stayed on his first visit in 1925, now showing his belongings, photographs and local ethnography.
Mersin
Silifke Museum
The archaeological museum of Silifke, with finds from the Bronze Age to the Ottoman era shown in stone, coin, jewellery, ethnographic and garden displays.
Mersin
Silifke Narlıkuyu Mosaic Museum
A small museum built around a Roman bath floor showing the Three Graces, on the bay of Narlıkuyu near Silifke.
Mersin
Silifke Asthma Cave
A natural cave near Narlıkuyu reached by a spiral iron staircase, known for its humid air, its stalactites and its "wishing cave" folklore.
Istanbul tickets online
Four Istanbul landmarks, each sold on its own site by the agency behind this guide — dated entry and free cancellation up to 24 hours.
Basilica Cistern
Justinian’s great underground reservoir: 336 columns in still water and the two Medusa heads. Fast-track entry with a digital audio guide.
Hagia Sophia
Justinian’s cathedral, the sultans’ mosque and a working mosque again today. The ticket admits you to the upper visitor gallery.
Dolmabahçe Palace
A nineteenth-century palace on the water’s edge: the Selamlık, the Ceremonial Hall under its chandelier, the crystal staircase and the Harem.