An ancient aqueduct dating back thousands of years sheds light on Zonguldak’s historical heritage

In Zonguldak, a 25-kilometer pipeline was built during the Roman period to transport water to the ancient city of Tios in Filyos, attracting visitors from all over Turkey to the Cayir Su Cave. Located in the village of Cayir, which is connected to the Çaycuma district of Zonguldak, the cave also draws attention with its natural beauties. The cave, believed to have supplied water to the Teion Ancient City, established in the 6th century BC and used as a settlement area until the 13th century AD, stands out as an important historical heritage that attracts the interest of local and foreign tourists. The waterway built in the Roman period played a role in transporting the water from the Cayir Cave to meet the water needs of the ancient city of Tios-Tieion in Filyos. Some of the structures such as arches, cisterns, and channels built for the transmission of water along the 25-kilometer pipeline still exist and are also of interest to visitors. The cave and its surroundings were developed for tourism by the Zonguldak Geopark. The cave, which is 1,300 meters long and houses underground rivers that can be explored by boat, also contains stalactites known to host six different species of bats. Muammer Aytaş (40), a resident of the village, stated that visitors from all over Turkey come to the cave. Aytaş mentioned the need for improvements in the access roads to the cave and emphasized the necessity of lighting, saying, ‘This is the Cayir village cave from the Roman period. Foreign and local tourists come here during the summer. This place needs better maintenance. We want maintenance to be done. The cave is always full of visitors. Guests come from all over Turkey. We have a very beautiful cave. We want more investment. This place is within a forested area. It would be even more beautiful with lighting. It would attract more attention.’