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Damlatas Cave in Turkey Heals Asthmatic People | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Alanya Damlatas Cave


Ankara- The Damlatas Cave in the Turkish district of Alanya in Antalya province has become a popular destination for people suffering from Asthma from across the world.

The renowned cave, which maintains the same degree of temperature and humidity during the summer and winter seasons, welcomes thousands of local and international tourists every year.

Damlatas Cave was accidentally discovered in 1948 when attempts were made to open a quarry for the construction of a pier. It later became one of the most important centers for health tourism in Turkey.

People seeking to treat asthma are asked to spend four hours over 21 days, and exercise their talents like jogging and reading inside the cave.

Damlatas is considered among the first caves opened for medical tourism, and hosts the biggest number of visitors due to its location on the Mediterranean.

The cave features crystalized stalagmites and stalactites, which required over 15,000 and 20,000 years to be formed.

Doctors advise asthma patients to visit the cave, which turned it into an important tourism destination for Turks and people demanding treatment from all over the world, Germany and Russia in particular. The cave visitors exceeded 260,000 in 2015, with 2,665 of them visiting it for treatment.

Antalya’s province classified the cave as a center for entertainment activities, to promote it and lure more tourists to the region.