Keloğlan Cave

Keloğlan Cave is a cave located within the boundaries of the town of Dodurgalar, which belongs to the district of Acıpayam in Denizli. The point where the cave is situated is 3 km from the Denizli-Antalya highway. The average height of the cave is 5-6 meters, and the tour area is 145 meters.

Keloğlan Cave, until 1990 unnoticed, known only to shepherds and not used for any purpose; after applications made by the Denizli Governorship and Dodurgalar Municipality to the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration, a study (MTA Implementation Project) was carried out by MTA and it was decided to open it to tourism. The cave has preserved its natural appearance. The cave, opened to tourism in 2003, is one of 31 caves in Turkey open to tourism.

The air inside the cave is humid and warm. As commonly stated in scientific publications; cave environments with stalactites and stalagmites formed over many years by water droplets containing calcium from the karstic bedrock and soils have also been used in the treatment of diseases such as asthma and bronchitis. The cave’s highly fissured structure is extremely suitable for karstification. The cave, which developed within Jurassic and limestone rocks, has an indented and protruding structure as it is divided into many rooms interconnected by numerous dripstone columns. Along the cracks, dripstones (stalactites, stalagmites, column walls, and flowstone) are densely present. Divided into small rooms by dripstone columns, the cave consists of a single hall with a narrow entrance and has humid and warm air. Measurements made in 1998 showed that the external temperature was 32 degrees Celsius and the absolute humidity was 65 %.

When entering the cave, one encounters a large gallery. Throughout the gallery there are various examples ranging from stalactites formed over thousands of years, thin stalactites referred to as "pasta," to lace-like stalactites. Columns formed by the merging of stalactites and stalagmites created by water dripping from the ceiling, as well as travertine formations, also give the cave a mysterious atmosphere. Additionally, as large stalactites from the wide cracks in the ceiling merge with stalagmites and with each other, compartments similar to rooms divided by natural walls have formed inside the cave.

The tourist paths built in line with the Implementation Project have been illuminated. The interior of the cave is also monitored by cameras. The cave also receives great interest from asthma patients. A small bat colony is located at the entrance of the cave.