Derinkuyu Underground City is an ancient multi-level underground city of the Median Empire in the Derinkuyu district in Nevşehir Province, Turkey.
Extending to a depth of approximately 60 m, it was large enough to shelter approximately 20,000 people together with their livestock and food stores.
It is the largest excavated underground city in Turkey and is one of several underground complexes found across Cappadocia.
One of the heavy stone doors. They have a height of 1–1,5 m, 30–50 cm in width and weigh 200–500 kg. The hole in the centre can be used to open or close the millstone, or to see who is outside.
It was opened to visitors in 1969 and to date, about half of the underground city is accessible to tourists. The underground city at Derinkuyu could be closed from the inside with large stone doors. Each floor could be closed off separately.
The city could accommodate up to 20,000 people and had all the usual amenities found in other underground complexes across Cappadocia, such as wine and oil presses, stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, and chapels. Unique to the Derinkuyu complex and located on the second floor is a spacious room with a barrel vaulted ceiling. It has been reported that this room was used as a religious school and the rooms to the left were studies.
Between the third and fourth levels is a vertical staircase. This passage way leads to a cruciform church on the lowest (fifth) level.
The large 55 m ventilation shaft appears to have been used as a well. The shaft also provided water to both the villagers above and, if the outside world was not accessible, to those in hiding.
History
First built in the soft volcanic rock of the Cappadocia region, possibly by the Phrygians in the 8th–7th centuries B.C according to the Turkish Department of Culture, the underground city at Derinkuyu may have been enlarged in the Byzantine era. During the Persian Achaemenid empire the city was used as a refugee settlement. There are references to underground refugee settlements built by the Persian king Yima in the second chapter of the Zoroastrian book Vendidad. Therefore many scholars believe that the city may have been built by the Persians. The city was connected with other underground cities through miles of tunnels.
Some artifacts discovered in these underground settlements belong to the Middle Byzantine Period, between the 5th and the 10th centuries A.D. It is speculated that the number of underground settlements, generally used for taking refuge and for religious purposes, increased during this era.
Derinkuyu Underground City, Cappadocia,
What a glorious time travel. History in this area is amazing. If you do not have a car you can get the green tour and this is also included. By traveling to Derinkuyu, I have learned so much about history of this region that I couldn't learn from history books.
We visited the Kaymakli underground city. The so different lifestyle of the people who lived (or took refuge) there amazes one and is highly educational about human nature. Though I am not claustrophobic I only managed to go down to the second level, I was afraid to go down lower.
Interesting underground city along with a bit of history attached to them. Also the above-ground cave dwellings were fun.
The Cave Dwelling are definitely something to see given that it is such a vast network of underground rooms and passages. If you're too tall or too wide be warned though since the passages can be a tight squeeze and some parts require a bit of bending. The caves are amazing !
The best to do is to visit villages
A must see for everyone,we went in wih my twin girls aged two,they walked down on their own,dint get scared,no issues they loved it,amazing city all underground.no problem breathing,have to bend a little though but it's fine,a must see for evryone visiting the region,highly recommend….people with back problems just be a bit careful its has bit of bending to do…
The historical implications of the various folk that used these dwellings for protection. Imagine Christians in hiding.
We drove to Derinkuyu from Goreme, almost 30km but it was worth the trip. The city is amazing and it's very deep. Make sure you get thick clothes as it gets colder as you go down. You don't need a guide because the coridors are well signaled.
When a I was a child I read an article about Cappadocia on National Geographic, and since then I have always wanted to visit the place. Cappadocia is an amazing place, the views and dwellings are unbelievable! You will even visit churches with frescoes!
There is also an underground city that housed about four thousand people in the past!
the cappadocia region of turkey is fabulous! we spent much time exploring the goreme open air museum (a must see), the ilhara valley and ozkonok (an underground city). all the places were fabulous if you love ancient history, mosaics and frescoes and the fantabulous. great hiking. and we took a hot air balloon ride (royal balloons) and got a great…