The underground city of Derinkuyu dates back thousands of years ago, and it was called Elengubu in ancient times. While some speculate that the Cappadocian Hitтιтes dug this impressive town around the 15th century BCE, others believe that it is Phrygians’ work in the 7th century BCE.

Despite the disagreement on the architects of the town, there is a general consensus that the underground metropolis served to hide its inhabitants from their enemies. This purpose was especially crucial during the Byzantine period when Christians were fleeing from their Roman persecutors.

When the Christians got to Cappadocia and discovered the city, they expanded and modified its existing structures by adding churches, schools, wineries, and other chambers that suited their needs. It is estimated that Derinkuyu could sustain up to 20,000 inhabitants and their animals at a go.

When the city was discovered in 1963, archeologists started excavation works before it was opened to the public in 1965. To date, only 40 meters of the town have been excavated.

erinkuyu underground city sits in a small town with the same name. The town is 40 km and a 30-minute drive away from Goreme town, which hosts most tourists in the region. Don’t worry; you won’t get bored along the way as the drive is actually quite scenic.

The underground city of Derinkuyu is so big that visitors can only explore a fraction of its mᴀssive size. Here you get to explore a ghost city that could host up to 20,000 inhabitants- underground! The city will blow your mind and stimulate your imagination from the moment you set foot through the first entrance.

During the tour, visitors get a glimpse of how life went on in an underground city in the alleys, secret rooms, and tunnels that dot this mᴀssive labyrinth. Only in these rooms and tunnels can you truly appreciate and understand some of the town’s design features. For instance, some tunnels are quite narrow and small, making it difficult to stand upright. You would think there was an issue during construction, but it is actually a defense mechanism; invaders would be forced to enter the city crouched over and in a single file, making it easy for the defenders to eliminate them at the other end of the tunnel.

The school at the second level is another astonishing room in the underground city. This mᴀssive room allowed the town’s young citizens to continue their treasured religious education even when the surface was burning.

The mᴀssive boulders at each level’s entrance are other fine examples of the ingenuity that went into constructing the city. The sheer size of these boulders is staggering, and only your imagination can give you an idea of how the inhabitants were actually able to move them. Nonetheless, they could only be rolled from the inside and were thus extremely effective in keeping invaders out.

Another feature that will surprise you is how the citizens could maintain clean air and sanitation in the underground town. As mentioned earlier, there were ventilation shafts, but their execution will surprise you. There were also systems to get rid of sewerage, and learn how all these worked will make an interesting lesson.