# Prehistoric painted cave with nearly 100 schematic figures found in Turkey's Tohma Canyon, Malatya > An interdisciplinary Turkish university team led by Levent Iskenderoglu of Inonu University announced the discovery of a painted cave in Malatya province's Tohma Canyon containing nearly 100 human and animal figures plus geometric symbols in red and reddish-brown pigment, tentatively dated to the Neolithic and potentially one of the most significant rock art finds in Turkey **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-06-20 · heads: The Long Game · 6 takes · 5 lenses · 4 regions ## Summary An interdisciplinary team from Inonu University, Istanbul University, and Firat University announced in June 2026 the discovery of a prehistoric painted cave in the Tohma Canyon area of Malatya province, eastern Turkey. The cave contains nearly 100 human and animal figures along with a dense cluster of geometric symbols, all rendered in red and reddish-brown pigment. Led by Levent Iskenderoglu of Inonu University's Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, the team tentatively dated the cave to the Neolithic Period, associated with early farming communities and settled life in Anatolia, though the wider Tohma Canyon region carries Paleolithic traces. Unlike the naturalistic figurative tradition of European cave painting, the Malatya figures are schematic. Several images overlap earlier ones, indicating the site was visited and painted across multiple phases, possibly spanning thousands of years. ## The split Turkish state media and archaeological institutions framed the discovery as a national heritage milestone and evidence of eastern Anatolia's deep prehistoric record, a region that has received less rock-art attention than the Aegean or Mediterranean coasts. International rock art specialists noted that the schematic character of the figures fits a broader Anatolian and Near Eastern tradition distinct from the Lascaux-Chauvet-Altamira lineage, and said the site would require systematic documentation and radiocarbon dating before a firm chronology could be established. Local Malatya authorities moved quickly to raise the question of protective status for the canyon. ## By the numbers - Nearly 100 human and animal figures documented in the initial survey - Dense group of geometric symbols in addition to figurative images - Pigment: red and reddish-brown throughout - 3 universities involved: Inonu, Istanbul, Firat - Tentative date range: Neolithic Period (roughly 10,000 to 4,500 BCE in Anatolia) - Location: Tohma Canyon, Malatya province, eastern Turkey ## Why it matters Turkey's inventory of documented prehistoric rock art sites is concentrated in western and coastal Anatolia; a significant Neolithic painted cave in Malatya adds a data point for symbolic culture in the upper Euphrates region and strengthens the case for extended fieldwork in Tohma Canyon. For the [Major Digs](/en/entity/major-digs) category of active excavation and survey, the find arrives during a period of expanded LiDAR and remote-sensing survey in Anatolia, part of a wider wave of discovery that includes the 2026 Minanbé Maya city announcement and ongoing surveys at multiple Anatolian Neolithic sites. ## What to watch - Formal radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating of the pigment and sediment layers - Whether the Turkish Culture Ministry grants protected archaeological site status to the canyon - Publication of full documentation in a peer-reviewed journal - Comparison with other Anatolian schematic rock art corpora to establish chronological and cultural affiliations ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### Turkish archaeology news portal with direct access to university research teams and field reports - **Arkeonews** (Turkey, en) — Arkeonews reported the discovery of a prehistoric painted cave in Malatya's Tohma Canyon containing nearly 100 human and animal figures and a dense group of geometric symbols painted in red and reddish-brown tones. The team is led by Levent Iskenderoglu of Inonu University's Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, with collaborators from Istanbul University and Firat University. The cave may date to the Neolithic Period; some figures overlap earlier images, suggesting the site was used repeatedly over a long period. > "Prehistoric painted cave with nearly 100 figures found in Turkey's Tohma Canyon, a potential landmark in Turkish rock art." Source: https://arkeonews.net/prehistoric-painted-cave-with-nearly-100-figures-found-in-turkiyes-tohma-canyon/ ### English-language Turkish daily; covered the domestic scientific and cultural heritage significance - **Turkiye Today** (Turkey, en) — Turkiye Today described the cave's schematic character, which differs from the more naturalistic European cave art tradition, and noted that the Tohma Canyon area already carries traces of Paleolithic human settlement. The find is described by researchers as a potential addition to Turkey's roster of significant prehistoric sites. > "Prehistoric cave with hundreds of figures found in eastern Turkiye, potentially among the most important rock art sites in the country." Source: https://www.turkiyetoday.com/culture/prehistoric-cave-with-hundreds-of-figures-found-in-eastern-turkiye-3221847 ### US science and history media with English-language context for international readers - **All That's Interesting** (United States, en) — All That's Interesting provided an accessible account of the cave's contents: nearly 100 human and animal figures, geometric symbols in red and reddish-brown pigment, and overlapping images suggesting repeated use across different periods. The piece noted the tentative Neolithic date and the interdisciplinary nature of the team. > "Archaeologists uncovered a cave filled with more than 100 prehistoric paintings in Turkey's Tohma Canyon." Source: https://allthatsinteresting.com/turkey-tohma-canyon-neolithic-cave-art ### Specialist English-language digest of Turkish fieldwork and museum announcements - **Turkish Archaeological News** (Turkey, en) — Turkish Archaeological News logged the Tohma Canyon cave as the lead item in its June 2026 roundup, noting the Inonu University affiliation and the team's assessment that the cave represents a significant new data point for understanding Neolithic symbolic practice in eastern Anatolia. > "Tohma Canyon painted cave is the lead item in June 2026 Turkish archaeology." Source: https://turkisharchaeonews.net/article/june-2026-turkish-archaeology ### unlabelled - **News.az** (Azerbaijan, en) — Source: https://news.az/news/nearly-100-prehistoric-figures-discovered-in-painted-cave-in-turkiyes-tohma-canyon - **Bradshaw Foundation** (International, en) — Source: https://www.bradshawfoundation.com/news/cave_art_paintings.php?id=452 ## Across the graph - Entities: Major Digs --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/turkey-malatya-cave-art-2026