An underground city 85m deep, divided into 18 floors in the Cappadocia region, Türkiye, makes anyone who comes here amazed and amazed.
Built thousands of years ago, Derinkuyu is considered the largest underground city in the world. “Derin kuyu” means “deep well” in Turkish.
Underground city discovered by people repairing their house
The Derinkuyu Underground City has a system of tunnels and interconnected chambers. The structure was used almost continuously for thousands of years as a shelter, protecting people from war and natural disasters.
The underground tunnels in the city stretch for miles, even connecting Derinkuyu to other nearby ancient underground cities – PH๏τo: Getty Image
Underground chapel – PH๏τo: Getty Image
The dating of Derinkuyu is still controversial. Some theories suggest that this underground city dates back to the Phrygians, then the Persians and the Byzantine Christians (ancient Greek city) in 780 – 1180.
It is also believed to have protected its inhabitants from natural disasters and the Arab-Byzantine wars. During this time, the cave-like chapels contained many texts inscribed with Greek characters.
The people living here used large rolling stones to close the city from the inside, against enemy invasion.
In 1963, the underground city of Derinkuyu was unexpectedly discovered when dark tunnels were revealed while a man living in the Cappadocia region was renovating and repairing his house.
This dark tunnel is believed to be one of 600 entrances to the ancient city. When excavating the structure, people discovered a complex network of underground houses, tombs, wells, granaries, barns, schools, wineries, prisons and chapels…
The soft rock here made tunneling easier, but also posed a major risk to the structure’s stability. Mᴀssive supports were needed to support the structure. The mystery is that not a single floor of Derinkuyu has collapsed.
The ventilation system of the underground city of Derinkuyu is made up of more than 15,000 shafts leading down to the floors, ensuring air circulation up to the 8th floor.
The upper floors, closer to the ground, were used for living and resting, because they were the best ventilated. The deeper underground floors were mainly used for food storage, warehouses or dungeons.
The middle levels of the underground city were used for many purposes, including wine presses, livestock, monasteries, and small churches. The most famous of these is the cross-shaped church on the seventh level.
Deep ventilation well in Derinkuyu – PH๏τo: Daily Mail
The people of Türkiye still draw water from the underground city’s well system. Until one man’s fateful swing of a hammer left the world in awe of such a mᴀssive and mysterious city.
Derinkuyu has become the most unique and mysterious tourist destination in Türkiye – PH๏τo: Cappadocia 4u
Tourists challenge the depth of the 18-story ancient city – PH๏τo: Journey Era
In 1985, the underground city of Derinkuyu was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is also one of the most unique and attractive tourist destinations in the Cappadocia region of Türkiye.
