Traces of life going back 10,000 years have been located in the Levent Valley of the eastern Anatolian province Malatya.

The 28 km long Levent Valley has thousands of small and large caves. Thanks to its extraordinary geological formation, the valley was a very attractive place. According to Levent İskenderoğlu, chairman of Malatya’s branch of the Conservation Implementation and Control Branch (KUDEB), “One can see the traces of life in these caves with the naked eye”.

KUDEB recently completed an archaeological survey at the valley, where the team of archaeologists and art historians found traces of life from the Neolithic period.

“There are also traces of the Hittite, Roman, Seljuk and Ottoman periods. Life is still continuing in villages. We can say that life has been continuing in the Levent Valley, which is a natural wonder, for 10,000 years. People have chosen this area to life in every age,” İskenderoğlu said.

Scientists discovered nearly 20 villages in the valley, and 26 areas of geological importance, and will soon publish the results of their investigations.