The historical potholes in Mersin, called "Paradise" with a depth of 70 meters and "Hell" with a depth of 128 meters, were opened to the visit of tourists with their renewed faces.
Improvement works carried out within the scope of the Tourism Destination Management Feasibility Support Program of the Ministry of Industry and Technology for the Heaven and Hell Potholes in Silifke District of Mersin have been completed. The region, which stands out with its interesting structure, was opened to visitors within the framework of Covid-19 measures.
Improvements were made to the 452-stepped walkway and the Virgin Mary Church at the base of the 70-meter-deep ponor, which is called "heaven" with its green nature where bird sounds echo and the water flowing from its bottom. The elevator, which was built for the elderly, disabled and chronically ill visitors who have difficulty in going down the stairs to the elliptical shaped sinkhole with a diameter of 250 meters, was put into service. A walking path has been added to the cave, whose entrance is at the base of the pothole and where natural water flows.
A glass viewing terrace was also built in the 128-meter-deep Hell pit, which stands out with its eerie atmosphere and is impossible to descend due to its concave sides. In the pothole, which was difficult to examine in the previous periods, an easier observation opportunity was created thanks to the observation terrace. The parking lot of the area, where social areas are also prepared for visitors, has been rearranged. With the opening of the season, the sinkholes started to host a large number of visitors.