New 600-person event hall planned for Çankırı's historic salt cave

Çankırı Municipality opened a 300-person conference hall in the Underground Salt City, where salt has been extracted since the Hittite period. Work has now begun on a new 600-person hall.

Scraper SystemJuly 30, 2026, 09:01 PM

New 600-person event hall planned for Çankırı's historic salt cave

In the cave in Çankırı, where salt has been produced since the Hittite period and which is called the 'Underground Salt City', the municipality has created a 300-person conference hall. Built among natural rock salt blocks, the hall was designed to preserve the cave's unique atmosphere while being equipped with modern sound and lighting systems.

Çankırı Mayor İsmail Hakkı Esen stated that they have so far organized various events in the hall, including stand-up shows, fashion shows and conferences. "There is nothing else like it in the world. Imagine a conference hall 150 meters underground, inside a salt mine. I don't think there is another example like this in the world," Esen said, adding that the proximity to Ankara has been turned into an advantage.

Mayor Esen announced that they will build a new hall one and a half times the size of the current one, taller and deeper, with improved stage sightlines. "It will be a complex that showcases the pre-Christian era and the new century. Our visitors will experience a shock effect," Esen said, adding that the new space will be used for multiple purposes.

Serdar Koşal, who watched a theater play in the cave, said he was impressed by the atmosphere, adding, "The municipality has done a great job; the café inside, the cleanliness, the order are wonderful."

Actress Öykü Elif Eskiüçkarış also stated that they performed a play 150 meters underground for the first time. "Our play, set in the Stone Age, was very connected to the venue. We told about the lack of resources in ancient times and it was a play aimed at drawing lessons from that," she said.

New 600-person event hall planned for Çankırı's historic salt cave

Çankırı Municipality opened a 300-person conference hall in the Underground Salt City, where salt has been extracted since the Hittite period. Work has now begun on a new 600-person hall.