|
|
||||
|
|
||||
 |
Xenefon Sofular |
|||
|
For cave maps and drawings please click on the picture... |
For photographs please click on the photo... |
|||
|
 |
|||
|
Type: |
Horizontal Cave | |||
|
Altitude: |
8 m | |||
|
Depth: |
17 m | |||
|
Length: |
100 m | |||
|
Region: |
Marmara | |||
|
Province: |
Istanbul | |||
|
District: |
Sile | |||
|
Village: |
Sofular | |||
|
|
||||
  |
||||
| Location: It is located at the area called Magara Burnu Mevkii; east of the region where the Sofular Brook reaches at the Black Sea; to the north of the Kizilca-Sofular villages; west of the Sile District. It is at an half an hour walking distance from Sofular. |
| Structural Properties and formation : General topographic features of shore comprises such abraded ridges with an abrasion surface of 50-130m and such large valleys like dentritik drainage elongating to the direction of NS. The feature of rocks in region is coverage formation dating back to neogene comprises vulcanite consisting an aged andesites belonging to Upper Cretaceous; sedimental units consisting of tuff; sand, pebble and reddish and dirty yellow clay encountered on the ridge of hills [Okay 1948; Ertek 1989]. Besides the rocky units, there, especially in volcanic formations, exists an aged allochthonous in Upper Cretaceous and small -relatively to its environs- individual limestones [Baykal, Onalan 1979; Ertek, 1989] where Sofular Cave directs to SN, parallel to the stream. In front of the shore belonging to the same formation, there lies an active and low cliff with 15-20m of height, elongating along to EW. Along the faults of limestones, there are blocks in mass having abraded, fragmented, thus, accumulated in front of cliff via destructive waves. On blocks there seen a few hollow consisting signs of wave and abrasion [Ertek, 1989]. At the mouth of the cave there exists sandy ridges in front of dead cliff, consisting andesites behind beach; a miniature band of shore; and a beach band above 3m of length. These alluviums and sands elongating along Sahilkoy and west side have accumulated by creek and current in sea [Ertek 1989]. There appear a demolished climate of marmara [Erinç 1969], a brown soil of forested area. The plant community around the cave comprises both scrub consisting maquis, pseudo-maquis and forest tree involving Quercus [Donmez 1979]. Sile-Sofular Cave with its karstic originated is formed by abrasion of limestone formation by underground water. Cave has two entrances; the higher one on the right having 10m of width and 5m of height incorporates into other within cave in a huge hall. This first hall with 20m of length, 8m of width and 3-5m of height connects to such two branches that one on the left is blind and the other on the right, southeasterly, is about 10-12m of length extending to main gallery through a narrow passage. The ceiling of the main gallery represents the platform of stratification. The reason of that the stalactites in the ceiling do not exist at the entrance is unavailability of depression area along the articulation system or, impervious feature of limestones being sandy and well cemented. The remarkable pytigmatic calcite formation at the ceiling was estimated to be formed by sudation. The base of the main gallery is covered with silty sand that are plastic in mid-degree. A thick column, 5-10 cm-smal stalactites and stalagmites are available in the main gallery. In addition there seen a high degree of calcite recrystalisation on a large and a dome-shaped stalagmite. Shelled gastropods shows the same crystallization on this stalagmite. On the left wall of the gallery there lies pebble such as edged, semi-edged and rounded; and plastic clay filling the karstic gaps. 50m of this branch as passage with 120-180m of height enlarges up to a second and a large hall with humidity. Continuously, there is a side-gallery with a length of 10m and 5m of width. There is a huge crack in this home-ceiling side-gallery with a height of 10m. In this huge crack there exists two narrow and long chimneys. It was estimated that these chimneys brings a plenty of water from surface. The first hall at the beginning of cave is also accessible after 10m of crawl with a descending slope from side-gallery. There is also another left small branch passed by a crawl from the second hall. The natural step of this 6 m-branch covered with guano is as narrow as to ascending crawl and gives way to room where thick and long stalactites and stalagmites lies. The columns, 30-50m in diameter and 7-8m of length, have been broken by people. In the sense of its higher attitude than the mouth, main gallery and its branches of cave and with respect to its bold stalactites, stalagmites and columns; room was suggested to be aged, fossil. That there is a room laying through upper branches with respect to the low attitude of main gallery shows the way of development of cave to be started from surface to deep levels. From the first hall to the main gallery it was observed that the ceiling descends vertically. The part just suitable for a crawl having 3m of width, 1m of height and 10m of length turns into a narrower part with a 1,5-2m of width, 60-65 cm of height; furthermore after a 8-9m of passage it requires full crawl. At this stage, the front of of main gallery probably ends up with a depression (There exists some roots of tree in a place where the symptoms of depression lies). The concerting of sunk but open ended stalagmites with surfacial micro stalagmites (5 cm in diameter) continuing its development in different layers of base deposits in clayey, gray and dark colors makes the understand of togetherness of karstification and sedimentation. That there are also small and pen-shaped stalagmites with 10-12 cm of length in white (Ertek 1989) represents the close relation of surfacial water and a system of limestone faults. The slope of the galleries is towards the main gallery and so to the mouth of the cave. That the great amount of depressions and deposits being in the fossil parts of the cave shows the cave to be in its aged period supports cave to be formed at the end of Pliocene and at the beginning of the Quaternary (Ertek 1989). Hydrology: It is a dry cave in spite of the humidity and a water leaking through the faults on wall. The water leakage possibly flows towards the mouth in winter season. |
| Research History: The cave known by the people inhabiting in Sile was recorded even before the Roman Period with the name of "Xenophon Cave". It was firstly mapped by Ertek, T.A. in 1989 and the environs of the cave was surveyed. In 1987, Kasar, N. also stated the cave to be utilized as church by Sofular Villagers. Similarly Erdem, B. in 1995, noticed the archaeological and religious value of Sofular Cave with respect to the mihrap of pagan and the steps in hall. |
| Findings: There are a lots of bats living in cave. An artificial wall at the mouth of the cave was assumed as mihrap of pagan [Erdem 1995:26]. In the cave mammal, arachnoid and vermiform were encountered (especially small brown bat, dark brown spider, millipede, worm in guano). There are many colonies of bat adopted to the humid and dark condition around the hall in inner cave; particularly developed by the water leaking from the faults in limestones [Ertek et al. 1988:41]. |
