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Mucur Underground Cities and National Park Route

Kesikköprü Caravanserai

Kesikköprü  Caravanserai's image
The Broken Bridge Caravanserai (Kesikköprü Kervansayarayı) is located next to the Broken Bridge (Kesikköprü), the most famous of the Anatolian Seljuk bridges. Caravanserai were the first commercial accommodation areas in Anatolia. Caravans, consisting of people, cargo, and animals, were accommodated in these inns. The inns had an important place in social and cultural structures of the period, and are the precursors to today’s hotels.

Kesikköprü

Kesikköprü's image
Located in Kesikköprü Village in Kırşehir, Türkiye, the bridge spans the Kızılırmak River and was built in 1248 by the Anatolian Seljuks. Constructed to connect Kırşehir and Konya, the bridge is one of the significant works of Turkish architecture. It is situated along the historic Silk Road route, emphasizing its strategic importance. The bridge measures 400 meters in length, 6 meters in width, and consists of 13 pointed arches. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it began to be called the Broken Bridge (Kesikköprü) due to bandits who disrupted caravan routes crossing over it.

Mucur Underground City

Mucur Underground City's image
There are numerous underground cities in the Cappadocia region. Dating from the 3rd and 4th centuries, many were built by early Christians for protection, shelter, and worship. One of these is the Mucur Underground City (Mucur Yeraltı Şehri) in the Mucur district of Kırşehir. The underground city lies seven to eight meters below the ground. The underground city features many chambers, along with narrow corridors that connect the various chambers. Huge, flat circular stones were used to seal various chambers and the underground city also had ventilation chimneys that opened above the ground. In addition, the underground city included places of worship, as well as stables big enough to accommodate sheep and goats.

Seyfe Lake Bird Sanctuary

Seyfe Lake Bird Sanctuary's image
Lake Seyfe (Seyfe Gölü) is 220 km from Ankara and 36 km from Kırşehir. There are several islands of various sizes in the lake, which is 16 km from Kırşehir's Mucur district. The lake is a habitat for thousands of birds. The mounds around the lake, the naturalness of the surrounding vegetation, and the view of the turquoise lake and flocks of birds offer an extraordinarily beautiful scene. Observations and research identified the presence of approximately 200 bird species in and around the lake. Flocks of birds – brightly coloured flamingos, in particular – create an amazing picture for bird watchers.

Kepez Underground City

Kepez Underground City's image
The Kepez Underground City (Kepez Yeraltı Şehri) is in the Mucur district of Kırşehir and considered one of the most well-ordered underground cities in the Cappadocia region. Kepez draws attention from visitors due to its architecture and its bicoloured soil structure. The underground city consists of ternate groups of halls in rectangular form, and galleries and tunnels connecting these halls.

Dulkadirli Underground City

Dulkadirli Underground City's image
This underground city, which resembles the caravansaries of the Seljuk period in terms of its architectural structure and plan, differs from other underground cities with its plan features. The underground city was used as a shelter in the early Christian period.

Üçayak Church

Üçayak Church's image
Üçayak Church (Üçayak Kilisesi) built in 10th or 11th centuries reflects the characteristics of typical Eastern Roman church architecture with double-dome and made entirely of brick. The church rises on six large columns, three on the front and three on the back. Since these columns look like three legs when viewed from the front and back, they are called Üçayak, as in Turkish for three legs, by locals.