The Gömek Plateau, located within the boundaries of Karameşe village in the Sason district of Batman, entered Turkey’s archaeological agenda in 2025 with the chance discovery of a mysterious underground structure. This rock-cut space, opened through a small entrance on a steep slope near the so-called “Cehennem Deresi” (Hell Valley), has been interpreted as an underground mosque based on its plan, mihrab and neighbouring graves. At first glance, the site appears to combine a place of worship with a burial ground, forming an integrated sacred complex.
The Setting: Gömek Plateau and Cehennem Deresi
Gömek Plateau is a highland area in the mountainous landscape of Sason, traditionally used for seasonal pastoralism. According to accounts from local villagers and hikers, the underground structure was found when a small opening in the rock face above Cehennem Deresi was noticed and explored. Although previous cultural inventory surveys had documented various remains in the wider region, this particular underground building had not been registered before, which explains the excitement it has generated among archaeologists and history enthusiasts.
Architectural Features of the Underground Mosque
Access to the underground mosque is through a narrow entrance. Inside, the most striking feature is a relatively well-preserved mihrab clearly indicating the qibla direction, leaving little doubt that the space functioned as a place of Islamic worship. In the walls and in the curved ceiling surfaces, numerous ceramic or terracotta jars have been found embedded into the masonry.
Preliminary interpretations suggest that these jars were used:
- to control echo and reverberation,
- to distribute the imam’s voice more evenly within the space,
- and to strengthen the overall acoustic performance of the interior.
Comparable “acoustic jars” or “resonance vessels” are known from both Islamic religious architecture and Christian churches and monasteries, where they were installed to fine-tune the sound of the human voice.
Graves and the Sacred Landscape
Inside the underground structure there is a prominent tomb or sarcophagus-like feature. Surface observations on the surrounding plateau indicate the presence of numerous elongated graves scattered over the area, including burials identified as children’s graves. This pattern suggests that the complex may have served not only as a mosque but also as a cemetery or a site associated with a revered burial, forming a combined focus of prayer, remembrance and visitation.
Such a combination of building, grave and pilgrimage spot is a well-known phenomenon in many parts of the Islamic world, where shrines and their surrounding cemeteries become important nodes in the religious and social landscape.
Possible Dating and Scholarly Interpretations
At this stage, no definitive dating has been established for the Gömek Plateau underground mosque. However, several aspects of the structure:
- its rock-cut nature,
- the relatively simple mihrab design,
- and the use of acoustic jars as a functional yet distinctive feature,
point, at first sight, to the medieval period and possibly to the early centuries of Islamic presence in the region. All such assessments remain provisional. To achieve a reliable chronology, the site will require:
- systematic archaeological excavation,
- analysis of ceramics, mortar and construction techniques,
- radiocarbon and other scientific dating methods,
- and a careful comparison with written historical sources.
Only a combination of these approaches can reveal who built the mosque, when it was used and how it fits into the broader history of Sason and Batman.
Significance Within the Tradition of Underground Worship Spaces
Anatolia is rich in rock-cut and underground religious architecture: cave churches, monasteries, chapels and occasionally small mosques or prayer spaces carved directly into the rock. The famous churches of Cappadocia and various cave settlements in Southeast Anatolia represent different faces of this tradition. The underground mosque of Gömek Plateau has the potential to add a new and distinctive example to this long architectural chain.
In particular, the site stands out for:
- its sophisticated use of acoustic jars,
- the close relationship between the worship space and surrounding graves,
- and its location on a rugged, hard-to-reach mountain slope.
For historians of architecture, religion and landscape, these elements make Gömek a valuable case study for understanding how communities shaped sacred spaces in challenging environments.
Preservation, Excavation and Future Research
Following the discovery, the most pressing issue is the protection and proper documentation of the site. For the underground mosque, key steps include:
- official registration as a cultural heritage monument,
- clear definition of the protected area,
- controlled cleaning and excavation by professional archaeological teams,
- and detailed recording using 3D laser scanning and photogrammetry.
Unplanned visits, uncontrolled lighting attempts or any physical damage to the fragile fabric of the building and its finds could compromise both its scientific value and its future as a heritage site.
Although many questions about the Gömek Plateau underground mosque remain unanswered, the discovery has already opened a new chapter in the study of Islamic and archaeological history in Turkey. In the coming years, interdisciplinary research is expected to clarify the dating of the structure, identify the communities connected with it and place this remarkable underground mosque within the wider historical map of the region.