Investigations in the Cave of Ambarderesi Kızlar Oğlanlar Sarayı (Manastırı) in İvriz

Abstract

A relief very similar to the king Warpalawas' relief of İvriz lies on the slopes of the Ambarderesi valley, located in the Halkapınar district of Konya. On the opposite slope, the remains of a monastery from the Middle Byzantine period, known as the Palace of Boys and Girls (Kızlar Oğlanlar Sarayı) by the locals, is located. A natural cave situated 50 m north of the apses of the church has been examined and documented for the first time during the 2016 survey season as part of the Konya Ereğli Survey Project (KEYAR). This article discusses the results of the systematical survey conducted in the Halkapınar district and the discovered Bronze and Iron Age settlements. The significance of the cave, which was investigated during the survey conducted at İvriz and Ambarderesi, and the cup mark found at its entrance is discussed within the context of religious rituals of the Neo Hittite period.