Kazankaya Canyon

Kazankaya Canyon begins at Kazankaya town in the Aydıncık district of Yozgat and ends at the village of İncesu in neighbouring Çorum province, carved by the Çekerek Stream, a tributary of the Yeşilırmak River, into a dramatic valley roughly 10-12 kilometres long and reaching depths of up to 700 metres in places. The Alan Mountains (1,363 m) rise to the south, and Malbelen Hill to the west. The valley shelters caves, rich vegetation and habitat for 263 recorded bird species. Along the rock faces on both sides, remnants of fortification walls dated to the 2nd century BCE, carved beam sockets, rock-cut stairways and traces of Hittite-period structures survive to this day. The canyon's most striking feature is a monumental, roughly 2,000-year-old relief of the goddess Kybele (Cybele), 3.16 metres high, carved into a niche facing a fortress on the opposite rocky bank. Set within a region dotted with major ancient cities — Alacahöyük, Hattusa (Boğazköy), Şapinuva, Maşat Höyük, Tavium and Kerkenes — the canyon has in recent years been opened up to nature tourism with walking trails and glass viewing terraces; spring and autumn are considered the best times to visit.