Located near the present-day town of Derinkuyu, in the Nevşehir province of Turkey, Derinkuyu is the largest underground city excavated in Turkey, 85 meters (279 feet) deep and capable of hosting up to 20,000 people along with animals and food supplies.
Derinkuyu is part of a network of underground cities found in Cappadocia.
Features of Derinkuyu
Here are the features of the site:
- The entrances could be closed from the inside with large rolling stone doors.
- Each floor could be isolated separately.
- Included: wine and oil presses, stables, storage rooms, dining halls, chapels, and other spaces.
- Unique to Derinkuyu: a large barrel-vaulted room on the second floor, likely used as a religious school.
- There are vertical stairs between the third and fourth levels leading to a church on the fifth level.
- A 55-meter (180 feet) deep ventilation shaft also served as a water source.
We explore these features in more detail in a dedicated article on Derinkuyu, highlighting peculiar or unexplained elements.
Evolution Throughout History
Historically, the site is attributed, though not with certainty, to the Phrygians between the 8th and 7th centuries BC. During the Roman era, the locals expanded the complex with chapels and inscriptions, reaching its current form during the Byzantine era. In the Byzantine period, it was used as a refuge during the Arab-Byzantine wars (780-1180 AD). It was also used in the 14th century against the raids of the Mongols of Timur and after the Ottoman conquest, the Christians used it to escape persecutions. Finally, it was used in the 20th century by local Greeks and Armenians to protect themselves from events like the Adana massacres in 1909 and was abandoned in 1923 after the population exchange between Greece and Turkey.
It was connected to another underground city, Kaymakli, via 8-9 km (5-5.5 miles) long tunnels.
Rediscovery and Tourism
Rediscovered in 1963, when a resident found a hidden room behind a wall during renovation work, it was opened to visitors in 1969 and since around 2016, half of it has been open to the public.