Akhayat Sinkhole

The Akhayat Sinkhole — known locally as 'Aşağı Dünya' (Lower World) — is a dramatic karst collapse pit in Rough Cilicia on Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast. It sits directly alongside the ancient ruins of Elaiussa Sebaste, a Roman harbor city whose columns, tombs, and masonry walls survive both at the rim and along the descent into the depression. The name 'Lower World' reflects how ancient cultures across Cilicia perceived such karst openings as entrances to the underworld, lending the site an enduring mythological atmosphere. Visitors today reach it via unpaved tracks and can descend into the sinkhole itself, where a distinct microclimate and sheltered vegetation create a striking contrast with the arid hillside above.