Kızören Gölü

Useful Information

Location:	Obruk, 9. Sokak 5"N, 42280 Büyükkayacık Organize Sanayi Bölgesi/Selçuklu/Karatay/Konya. (38.174670, 33.185536)
Open:	no restrictions. [2026]
Fee:	free. [2026]
Classification:	Collapse Doline Cenote
Light:	n/a
Dimension:	Ø=228 m, VR=171 m. Lake: L=180 m, W=150 m, VR=145 m.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:	Muhittin Çelebi̇ (2016): Ecological Importance of Wetlands and Samples in Konya Closed Basin IJSRST, International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology, Volume 2, Issue 3, 2016. Print ISSN: 2395-6011. Online ISSN: 2395-602X. academia.edu Gonca Gürler,Erol Ti̇mur (2007): Jeoparklarin Koruma-Kullanim Yöntemlerġnġn Belġrlenmesġ; Karapinar Potansġyel Jeopark Alani Ġçġn Bġr Değerlendġrme,Türkġye, (Determining Conservation and Use Strategies for Geoparks: An Assessment of the Karapınar Potential Geopark Area, Turkey) Proceedings of The Second International Symposium on Development Within Geoparks-Environmental Protection and Education, Lushan-Jiangxi Province-China, 12-15 June, 2007. academia.edu Recep Bozyi̇ği̇t, Tahsin Tapur (2009): The Affect Of Groundwaters For Formation Of Obruk In Konya Plain And Around, Selçuk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi • 21 / 2009. DOI academia.edu
Address:	Obruk Han Ve Obruğu(gölü), Obruk, 42290 Karatay/Konya.
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

13th century	caravanserai built at the shore of the lake.
2006	sinkhole and its surroundings declared a Ramsar site.
2019	declared a "Strictly Protected Sensitive Area".

Description

Kızören Gölü (Kızören Sinkhole) is a spectacular sinkhole which contains a karst lake at the bottom. The site is quite spectacular, and there is a hotel at the rim, Obruk Han, which has a terrace offering a great view into the sinkhole. The upper part is conical, followed by a vertical wall down to the water, the water level is about 25 m below the surface, the water is 145 m deep. This collapse doline is elliptical and has a length of about 180 m and a width of about 150 m. This makes it currently [2026] the largest collapse doline or sinkhole in Turkey. Such dolines are quite common in the whole area, most are dry. The whole area is karstified and thus has numerous caves, mostly waterfilled. As far as we know there are no caves which are accessible to tourists.

The basic point is that this site is actually a lake. Until a few years ago it was named Kızören Obruğu (Lake Kızören), because the groundwater level was almost as high as the surrounding plain. The term ‘obruk’ is used to describe the rare karst lakes found exclusively in the Konya district of Turkey. The hotel at the shore offered boat trips. And the water was of high quality and so it was the cheapest source of fresh water for human use in the vicinity. The State Water Institute (DSI) installed a pump at the southern shore which pumped drinking water for the local community. And this has tradition, this area was inhabited prior to 7500 BC. Çatalhöyük, where agriculture was first practiced, is only 64 km away. The caravanserai at the lake was constructed during the Byzantine era (~1250 AD) and remained in operation under Ottoman rule. It was a quite important way-stage on the Silk Road. Some years ago it was renovated and is now a modern hotel in a historic building.

The fact that the lake is now deep below, is simply a result of the fact that the whole groundwater level went down. The reason is simple, massively increasing pumping of water from the lake and boreholes in the area. The area is in the middle of Turkey, in the rain shadow of mountain ranges, and so it is semi-arid. The Obruk and Cihanbeyli Plateaus are at an elevation of about 1,000 m asl. These are fertile plains where farmers can grow many fruits, if they have water for irrigation. And so they bored their own holes and pumped water for field irrigation and for their animals.

The result are not only a lowered water table. If the formerly waterfilled caves get dry, the pressure the water makes against walls and ceiling vanishes. In many cases formerly waterfilled caverns collapsed quite fast after they fell dry. The result is an increasing number of collapse dolines, opening below fields and houses. The area is well known for this effect, the name Obruk Plateau translates doline plateau, but the dangers increase. And there will be an end, when the groundwater body is pumped out completely, there will be no pumping any more.