Özet:

Tourism refers to the travels made by millions of people for various reasons in which they participate continuously and actively. Turkey, with its special location, contains many types of tourism and creates a potential destination feature for people. Diyarbakir province, located in the Upper Tigris basin in Turkey, in the north of Mesopotamia, is a very suitable area for cave formation due to the carbonate rocks that are suitable for dissolution, since it is located in the area known as the Southeast Anatolian Karst Belt. The Birkleyn Caves, which are the subject of our research, are located within the borders of Lice district, 92 km northeast of Diyarbakır city center. These caves, which exhibit a beautiful example of karst formations, also have a hydrographic importance as they host the Dipni Stream, a branch of the Tigris. This cave system consists of three karst caves and one natural tunnel. It is stated that this cave system was formed on the slope of the Southeastern Taurus Mountains facing the Diyarbakır Basin due to the compression regime during the northward movement of the Arabian plate towards the Eurasian plate. In addition, important archaeological finds such as ruler reliefs and inscriptions dating back to the Assyrian period can be found in these caves, which have been used extensively from the past to the present. Birkleyn Caves is a natural wonder that can contribute to the tourism of the region with its geological, geomorphological and hydrographic formation features, as well as its archaeological-cultural attractiveness from past periods. These caves, which are known by few people throughout the country, except for the local people, have not been opened to tourism yet for various reasons. Being located on the side of the Diyarbakır-Bingöl highway provides the advantage of easy access to the caves. For this reason, the Birkleyn caves presents a very convenient environment for touristic activities such as cave tourism, nature walks, and picnic and recreation areas. While researching, the study area was examined by on-site observation method, digital elevation models and satellite images of the field, national and international literature were used. In this study, ArcGIS software program was used in the production of various maps. The possible results of this study, which aims to evaluate the formation and tourism potential of Birkleyn caves, will contribute to the necessary planning for sustainable touristic infrastructure and to the tourism value of Birkleyn caves.

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