Çayır Mağarası

Useful Information

Location:	Zonguldak Çaycuma çayır mağarası, 67900 Çaycuma/Zonguldak. From Çaycuma west through Güzelyaka to Güdüllü 8.6 km, turn right to Çayır 2.5 km. (41.4518580, 31.9872469)
Open:	no restrictions. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave River Cave Zonguldak Coal Geopark
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:
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

2001	opened to the public.

Description

Çayır Mağarası or Çayırköy Mağarası (Cave of Çayır) was named after nearby village Çayır. It is a semi-wild cave which is visited on rather poor trails, the visited level is a dry upper level which is rather spacious. After a huge entrance portal which has a massive hill of debris from the cliff above, the trail descends to the actual cave floor. This passage forms an enormous chamber with huge stalactites. As the daylight still reaches this section, it is green with moss, including the speleothems. The passage goes on for 500 m going downwards, and finally the lower level is reached and the passage ends at a sump. Cave divers explored the cave behind and found more sumps, and although it is certain that the cave connect to the Sofular sink, the connection was nevver explored.

The lower level is a river cave and forms a resurgence. This level can only be explored by boat, and for a short distance, before it goes underwater in a sump. The water which reappears here sinks 1.5 km to the west in the Sofular Valley.

And it is also of archaeological interest, as the Romans used the water as drinking water, and there are the ruins of the old Roman waterway. The canal connected the spring and the city of Tios – Tieion, today’s Filyos, and had a length of some 25 km. An aqueduct right in front of the cave is quite spectacular, the pillars are quite impressive.

Probably the most popular part of the site is a funny little café and restaurant at the cave. It is on the grounds of a former mill which used the power of the water, which was redirected into a canal. The tables and stools are placed in this canal, wher about 10 or 15 cm deep water flows. This is obviously intended to cool the feet on a hot summer day.

The site is a geosite of the Zonguldak Coal Geopark.