Incegiz Cave Monastery in Istanbul

The first settlement in the natural caves in and around Çatalca-İnceğiz started in prehistoric times (5500 BC). The expansion of the caves of İnceğiz by man-made carvings outside the natural caves started around 1200 BC. The collective life in the caves ends with cult and funeral ceremonies in the Maltepe Necropolis area above.
It has been used as a monastery since the 4th century AD. The monasteries experienced their most active period in the 11th-12th centuries and the number of floors increased upwards. The most splendid of the cave monastery ensemble consisting of three parts is the 1st group. It was carved into the limestone block with four floors. The upper floors are reached by stairs carved into the rocks. There is a church, graves carved into the rock and a pit thought to have been used as a baptismal font. The historical artefacts unearthed from İnceğiz Caves and Maltepe Necropolis Area are exhibited in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
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