Eshab-ı Kehf Complex: The Cave of the Seven Sleepers at Afşin

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1. What is the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex?
2. How do you get to the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex?
3. When is the best time to visit the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex?
4. What is the history of the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex?
5. What is the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex famous for?
6. What can you see at the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex?
7. Common misconceptions about the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex
8. Frequently asked questions about the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex
9. What do the official records say about the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex?

What is the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex?

Eshab-ı Kehf (Ashab al-Kahf, “the Companions of the Cave”) is one of the places where tradition locates the story of the Seven Sleepers: young believers who hid in a cave from a persecuting emperor, slept for some two centuries and woke in a Christian age. The story is told in Christian tradition and in the Sura al-Kahf of the Qur’an, and several sites in the region, including one near Tarsus and one at Ephesus, claim the cave.

The Afşin cave sits on a hill called Bencilus, and in front of it stands a remarkable sequence of buildings: the remains of a 5th-century church, a Seljuk ribat (fortified lodge), mosque and han of the early 13th century, a Dulkadirid madrasa of the late 15th century, a women’s mosque of 1500 and an Ottoman pavilion of 1531. Together they span more than a thousand years. The 2002 inventory calls the complex, on its own, a value of enormous significance.

Afşin lies in the north of Kahramanmaraş province, close to Elbistan, the centre of the second, magnitude 7.5 earthquake of 6 February 2023. We could not find a reliable published account of how the complex fared or of its current visiting arrangements, so contact the Afşin district governorship or the Kahramanmaraş culture directorate before you travel.

How do you get to the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex?

The complex is about 7 km north-west of Afşin town and about 130 km north of Kahramanmaraş city. Intercity coaches and minibuses connect Kahramanmaraş with Afşin; from the town, a taxi or your own car covers the last few kilometres to the site. Driving yourself from Kahramanmaraş gives the most flexibility, as the route crosses the mountains to the Elbistan–Afşin plateau. Kahramanmaraş Airport (KCM) has direct flights from Istanbul and Ankara.

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When is the best time to visit the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex?

Late spring to early autumn. Afşin sits on the high Elbistan plateau, so winters are cold and snowy (pictures of the complex under snow are a local favourite), while summer days are warm but nights cool. Dress as for a mosque, and be respectful in the cave, which is a place of prayer.

What is the history of the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex?

According to the UNESCO Tentative List submission, the first building at the site was a church, the “Jesus Masjid”, built in front of the cave in 446 under the Byzantine emperor Theodosius II, who was influenced by the story of the Sleepers. Its stones were later reused. Byzantine barracks and a guesthouse stood nearby.

In the early 13th century Nusretüddin Hasan Bey, the Seljuk lord of Maraş, built a ribat, a mosque and a han; the crown gate of the ribat is dated 1215. Under the Dulkadirid emirate, Alaüddevle Bey added a madrasa in 1480–1492, and his wife Şemsi Hatun commissioned the domed women’s mosque (Kubbetü’ş-Şerif) in 1500. The last major addition, the Paşa Çardağı pavilion, formerly the Minnet Çelebi mescit, was completed in 1531 under Süleyman the Magnificent. Restoration and landscaping in recent decades opened the complex to visitors.

What is the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex famous for?

• The Seven Sleepers. A story shared by Christians and Muslims, here set in an Anatolian cave.
• A thousand years of building. Byzantine, Seljuk, Dulkadirid and Ottoman work in one place.
• The shadow gate. The geometric carving of a Seljuk-era gate is said to cast shadows resembling a praying man, a praying woman and a dervish at prayer times.
• Pilgrimage. A major place of visitation for people from across Türkiye.

What can you see at the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex?

The cave. Its entrance faces north-west, and inside is a space of about 100 m². A well called the Zamzam well collects water dripping from the stalactite-covered ceiling.

The Seljuk ribat and its gate. The crown gate dated 1215, with the geometric carving known for its shadow figures.

The mosque and madrasa. The Seljuk mosque and the Dulkadirid madrasa of Alaüddevle Bey.

The women’s mosque. The domed Kubbetü’ş-Şerif of 1500, built for Şemsi Hatun.

The Paşa Çardağı. The Ottoman pavilion completed in 1531.

Common misconceptions about the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex

Is this the only cave of the Seven Sleepers?

What people often assume: That the story has a single, agreed location.

What the record says: Several sites claim the cave, including Ephesus and Tarsus in Türkiye and others in the Middle East. The Afşin complex rests its claim on the 5th-century church and the medieval buildings that grew around the cave (UNESCO).

Frequently asked questions about the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex

What do the official records say about the Eshab-ı Kehf Complex?

It is in Afşin district. It is the cave where seven young Romans are believed to have woken after a sleep of two hundred years.

The magnificent castle in the provincial centre, the Ulu Mosque and the Taş Medrese, the ruins of Evri and Tilkiler around Pazarcık, the ruins of Gökahmetli and Çokak around Andırın, the Ottoman and Byzantine castles along the road, the Byzantine buildings at Süleymanlı, the Ashab-ı Kehf complex at Afşin, which on its own has very great value, and many more cultural and tourism assets that could never all be listed are important for domestic and foreign tourists alike. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Kahramanmaraş Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)