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,
The organization of life in these cave dwellings, was something remarkable. I do respect the perople were forced to live their lives in caves because of very severe reasons. I could not do it!
don's buy plates in Avanos besides you could cut price excellence. Avanos is a beauty small town. peoples is not bad for help guest, but business man that sell plate is very sly, you must cut price 50% and then start to think about if you buy or not.
I went here with a tour group and it was extremely crowded. It was interesting to see how people lived, but with so many people there it felt like a fire trap. If you don't like small spaces and crowds skip this place!
Incredible, the history and culture. I frequently tell the stories of these caves to my friends back home.
Wow its a big underground city…55 m underground 7 floors down. It is amazing how the early christians tried to protect themselves from being killed due to their faith. They have left remarkable history in this area with the frescoes. just too many tourists coming in underground and at times the voices of your guides clash with each other.
Our hotel offered day tours involving some hiking plus a visit to this underground city, however we are not big on organised tours preferring to do our own thing. We caught a small dolmus to Nevsehir (not the Otogar)- instead on the main street. The conductor on the bus told us where to get off in the township.
I was told that Cappadocia was enjoyable and nice to see… I think the same but in an augmented view. Goreme areais extraordinary, nature is untainted and all the places are good for excursions, especially with a quad bike: amazing!
long trip and the most amazing geaography that is Cappadocia. I liked every place I visited.ballon was extremly good and one good option is to rent a car or a van and just drive to every valley around goreme there're great restaurants too along the way and i never forget my lovely hotel ''cave suites cappadocia …we'll back istanbul soon
They are all over Cappadocia, don't get stuck seeing them all, it can be too much of a good thing. We thoroughly enjoyed the ones we saw.
History present everywhere, interesting to know how they lived until, not long ago, their reasons and how they were in the path of armies and settlers