Caves of Tokat

Kunduz Cave

Location: Tokat, Artove District

The cave is located at the vicinity of Yeşilyurt, at a distance of 4 km. to district center, and is 1500 m. away from the road and at 300 meters height inside the borders of Kunduz Village.

Properties: The entrance of the cave is at the shape of a round archway and the cave is covered with stones and soil. The cave was formerly used as a mint. Necessary investigations and information was not carried yet.

İndere (Ballıca) Cave

Location: Tokat, Pazar District

The cave is located inside the borders of Ballıca Village located at 6 km. southeast of Pazar and is 600 meters southeast of the village.

Properties: Ballıca Cave, having two layers above the entrance and five layers below the entrance is a seven - layered beautiful cave. There are small ponds, drippings, dry natural pools and small polls in every layer. The amount of mud and wet clay is high although there is no water flow at each layer floor. This fact makes climbing and descending difficult. The respiration is interestingly easy inside the cave.

The entrance of the cave expands in the direction of east - west upside down. After 45 - 50 meters of the entrance a wide saloon is reached. This saloon contains remains (plastered walls, plastered material depot etc.) displaying that this cave is used until the historic periods. After this point the cave expands into directions altering between north and northeast with a gallery of 25-30 meters. There are chambers on left and right sides of the gallery and the gallery finally leads into a big saloon. There are numerous stalactites, stalagmites, pillars and water ponds inside this saloon. The cave expands to upper layers after branching into north and northwest as two different layers. This section which is accepted as the first layer is 150 meters away from the entrance.

The second layer which is 10 meters below in the first shape of a large saloon. There are stalactite, stalagmite and pillars present inside this saloon. There is a descend to the third layer at the end of the second. The third and fourth layers contain pillars, stalactite and stalagmites and displays a breath taking scenes for the visitors. The shortest distance between the end of the fourth layer and the entrance of the cave is about 350 meters. There is a lake at the 5th layer.