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,
To visit Turkey is to visit Cappadocia. The people are gracious and it's a surreal experience to sleep in a cave suite. If ever you wanted to get the full expereince being one with nature….this is it! Just with the modern amenities!!
You also have to go on the hot air ballon ride to fully appreciate this wonderous place from…
Very unique experience that you can't get anywhere else.
This underground city was built by Christians in the early centuries after Christ to hide from invading forces. It is the most interesting place to visit and I would recommend it strongly. Probably not the best place to go if you are claustrophobic but amazing to think that people actually lived in these tunnels- there's even a church down there.
Excellent but be ready to walk narrow and low space, you would never think the people could do that to protect themself
An unique experience! The huge underground city is full of history and good old survival technics. Highly recommended to go with a good guide, to avoid getting lost and understand what and how every room was being used. The Christians lived here for a long time and the daily livelihood were well planned, designed and built. Once you surfaced, plenty…
People carved out houses. It lies on high plateau that is pierced by volcanic peaks. Go get there, take local tour agency.
The rooms were cozy but for senior citizens, going up the stairs to the upper floors can be really trying.
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.
There are many underground cities carved out of soft rock in the Cappadocia region and Derinkuyu (in the town of the same name) is arguably the most extensive.
If you are touring privately, make this your FIRST stop of the day (or perhaps just after a balloon ride) as it gets very busy with tours by mid-morning.
Very interesting and well worth a visit, though not as extensive as we had hoped. It is worth it to hire a guide when you get there (although they seem to be quite expensive), as there is almost no posted information.