A Mystery: Seven Sleepers Cave

The Seven Sleepers Cave, also known as Ashab-Keyf, is situated near Tarsus, Mersin. Its legend has persisted to this day and has been told for a thousand years. Arabic for "Eshab" means "owner," while "Keyf" refers to a location carved out of the mountains. It was created when a recess assumed the form of a cave. Because it is mentioned in Surah al-Kahf of the?Quran, the cave, which is honored by Christians, is equally significant to Muslims.

The transition from polytheistic to monotheistic belief is addressed in The Legend of the Seven Sleepers. Seven young individuals were excluded and subjected to persecution during this time of transition, which occurred in the second century AD. Their tale is related to the exclusion and torture of Christians. Dakyanus, the wicked king of that time, punished seven young individuals by the names of Yemliha, Mekseline, Mislina, Mernu?, Sazenu?, Tebernu?, and Kefe?tetayu? when they refused to adopt the belief in paganism. These young people ultimately decide to flee to the mountains after being threatened with death.

They approach a shepherd and his dog on the way and explain what happened to them. The shepherd took them to a cave he knows where they can hide. When they settled to the cave the soldiers sent by the ruler found them and closed the mouth of the cave with a large stone in order to kill them. The story claims that they slept here for more than 300 years and dispatched one of them to the city to get bread when they finally woke up. They find the solution by putting?them inside the cave and displaying them when people start to suspect them of using old money. They enter the cave and discover that there are only seven tiny birds within when the young man does not come in and out. Since that time, this location has been referred to as the Cave of the Seven Sleepers.

In parallel, there are caverns in many Anatolian cities that are said to be the Seven Sleepers Cave. We can use the one in Izmir's Ephesus neighborhood as an example. Mersin is where the mythology is said to have originated, although what actually happened is a complete mystery. Because there are signs that the Seven Sleepers Cave may be one of more than 30 caverns. Of course, the passage of time will reveal which is true.