Mysterious Underground Mosque Discovered on Batman’s Gömek Plateau

On Gömek Plateau in Batman’s Sason district, villagers and hikers stumbled upon an underground mosque carved into a rocky slope, complete with mihrab, acoustic jars and surrounding graves.

A striking discovery that could reshape local history has been made in Batman. On Gömek Plateau, a highland area of the village of Karameşe in the Sason district, villagers and nature hikers entered a small opening in a rocky slope and came face to face with what appears to be a fully underground mosque.

The structure lies above a valley locally known as “Cehennem Deresi”. From a narrow entrance in the rock, visitors step into a carved interior space where a well-preserved mihrab immediately stands out and clearly indicates the direction of prayer. Embedded in the walls are dozens of ceramic jars, which experts believe were used to control echo and improve the acoustics inside the mosque. There is also a large, anonymous tomb-like structure within the space.

The mystery is not limited to the interior. Surface surveys on and around the plateau have revealed numerous elongated graves scattered across the terrain, including burials thought to belong to children. Researchers note that previous cultural inventory work in the wider region had recorded some remains, but there was no official record of this underground mosque, which makes the new find even more remarkable.

Hikers who witnessed the discovery say that while walking with locals on Gömek Plateau, they were shown a small crack in the rock face and invited to look inside. What they saw, they describe as “a space that looks like it has leapt out of the depths of history”: a planned place of worship with a solid mihrab, carefully embedded jars in the walls and a burial layout that clearly goes beyond the idea of a simple cave or shelter.

Early assessments by experts suggest that, based on its architectural features, the structure could belong to the medieval period or to an early phase of Islamic presence in the region. Some researchers also do not rule out the possibility that it may have been built over an even older sacred site. However, they emphasize that precise dating will only be possible after detailed archaeological excavation, material analysis and scientific dating methods.

For now, the main expectation is that the site should be placed under official protection, its boundaries clearly defined and a controlled excavation and conservation process initiated. Specialists warn that uncontrolled visits, random digging or attempts to “improve” the site without expertise could cause irreversible damage.

The underground mosque on Gömek Plateau is already seen as a strong candidate to become a new reference point in discussions about underground worship spaces in Anatolia. Future research is expected to reveal which community built it, in which period it was used and what role this hidden structure played in the religious and social life of Batman and its surroundings.