Heaven & Hell Sinkholes

The Cennet (Heaven) and Cehennem (Hell) sinkholes are located near Silifke, Mersin, and are formed by the collapse of limestone due to underground water erosion. The Cennet Sinkhole is 250 x 110 meters wide and 70 meters deep, featuring a cave with a small 5th-century monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary at its entrance. Visitors can access the bottom of Cennet via a 450-step staircase. The Cehennem Sinkhole, 128 meters deep, has no access to the bottom due to its concave shape. According to mythology, Zeus temporarily imprisoned the monster Typhon here. Near Cennet, the Temple of Zeus, originally from the Hellenistic period, was later converted into a church, though parts of it have not survived.