Öküzini-cave

Öküzini Cave, also known as "oxen cave," is located in southwestern Turkey around 32 km northwest of modern Antalya. Situated at the base of the Katran Mountains, the cave overlooks a floodplain stretching towards Antalya and is 900 meters northeast of Karain, a nearby complex of caves. The mouth of the Öküzini Cave is nearly sealed off by large stone blocks, but inside, it has a main chamber reaching 20 meters deep into limestone clefts that further branch into narrow passages. The cave's geological surroundings are marked by the presence of Karst springs in its vicinity, some of which supply drinking water to nearby villages.

The cave was first discovered by Professor İsmail Kılıç Kökten from Ankara University in the 1950s, which led to subsequent excavations in the mid-1980s by a joint Turkish-German team and further exploration led by Professors Işın Yalçinkaya from Ankara University and Marcel Otte from University of Liège in 1989 to 1999, which revealed further findings regarding the site. In 1989, the establishment of the research group "Bioprofil Öküzini" under the Tübingen Institut für Urgeschichte conducted scientific analyses on the sediment, pollen, and fauna found within the cave.