Recently the underground cities at Kaymakli Underground City and Derinkuyu Underground City near Nevşehir have been opened up for tourists. These also were early Christian centers and must have housed several thousand people in the eighth and ninth centuries. They extend downward in the earth for at least eight floors in a maze of tunnels and rooms and were easily defended by blocking the entrance with large rocks.
The sheer mechanics of organization, supply, and administration of such communities are staggering. A short, interesting description of life in such a place can be found in Xenephon’s Anabasis. In relating the retreat of the Greek army of Ten Thousand from Babylon to the Black Sea he describes a village in which they were entertained briefly in the winter:
“The houses here were underground, with a mouth like that of a well, but spacious below; and while entrances were tunnelled down for the beasts of burden, the human inhabitants descended by a ladder… It was here also that the village chief instructed them about wrapping small bags round the feet of their horses and beasts of burden when they were going through the snow; for without these bags the animals would sink in up to their bellies.”
Derinkuyu and Kaymakli,
that underground city was just stunning. i was amazed by how people back then were able to build a complete city underground at a time when there was no hi tech or building tools & equipments. it goes 8 floors deep underground, & divided into rooms, kitchens, and other areas including a school. it has these maze tunnels and steps…
Derinkuyu underground city is absolutely one of the things you must see to get the `total` impression of fabulous Capadoccia! You are going 60m underground through narrow tunnels, see the capability of our human ancestors to manage to survive in the most dangerous and severe situations and what impressed me so much was the way they managed the supply of…
Derinkuyu has seven floors and 85 meters depth and can shelters thousands. It has extensive defence netwroks of traps. It is difficult to walk or drive around the Cappadocia. Use local tour agency and take "red tour" and "green tour" which local agencies arrange tour with lunch. each tour takes entire day.
Derinkuyu is an amazing piece of history and a must see if you are in the Cappadocia region. The depth, size and history of this underground city is remarkable. Very glad we saw this underground city versus some of the others.
We visited this attraction as part of the Green tour by New Goreme agency. Although we were to visit this attraction in the morning as per the tour schedule, our tour guide Mr.Mesuit decided to keep it for afternoon after seeing the heavy rush to get in (good decision although it was still crowded in the afternoon – not so…
I especially liked Derinkuyu because the underground chambers went far underground and it was really interesting to hear about how people lived in these caves, with their livestock, during sieges. Some of the carved-out cathedrals are fairly intricate. I would highly recommend visiting Cappadocia.
Totally loved the underground multileveled city complex; it is completely self-sufficient and full of interesting history. However, there are moments of discomfort as the tunnels are small and cramped, and many times, we had to bend over, even crouch, to get through the tunnels or to enter a small room, etc. I'm five feet tall, and am slim, but even…
To dig this out and to be able to move the entire town, produce and livestock in, in times of trouble, is staggering. It is surprisingly spacious and laid out very carefully for all its various uses. Fresh air circulates due to their well placed ventilation shafts and water wells. If claustrophobic I would suggest not going down to the…
Fantastic – do not miss seeing one of the underground cities while you are in Cappadocia, although think twice if you are very tall, wide or unsteady on your feet.
Get there early to avoid a claustophobic battle with tour bus loads. If travelling independently spend the money and hire a guide – you will get so much more from…
Derinkuyu is the largest of all the underground cities in the region. It has 7 floors underground that are open to visitors as compared to 4 floors open at Kaymakli. We took a guided tour and we fascinated by the various rooms shown to us. Its certainly worth visiting.