In 1963, an inhabitant of Derinkuyu (in the region of Capadocia, central Anatolia, Turkey), was demolishing a wall of his house-cave, when he discovered a mysterious room behind a wall. This room led to another one, and this to another and then to another… By chance the underground city of Derinkuyu was discovered. It is one of several in the region which date back to at least the 7th and 8th centuries BC.

Archaeologists began to study this fascinating underground city initially to a depth of forty metres. When we visited the city, we descended to a little over 80 metres with the bottom extending even further.

At present, 20 underground levels have been discovered. We visited eight of these. Others are partially obstructed or reserved for archaeologists and anthropologists, who study Derinkuyu.

Missionary school

Our guide demonstrated how captured invaders were hung by their wrists from cut-outs on the pillar before being tortured.

The city was used for shelter by thousands of people who lived in the caves to protect themselves from the frequent invasions that Capadocia underwent, at the diverse times of their occupation, and also by the first Christians.

The enemies, conscious of the dangers that were hidden inside the city, generally tried to flush the people to the surface by poisoning their wells.

The interior is amazing: the underground passages of Derinkuyu (having space for at least 10,000 people) could be blocked in three strategically important points by moving circular stone doors.

These heavy rocks were used to block passageways and so trap or prevent enemies from entering. They were 1 to 1.5 metres in diameter and about 50 centimetres thick. They weighed up to 500 kilograms.

This image shows how the circular stone door closed the corridor to isolate the inhabitants.

In addition, Derinkuyu has a tunnel of almost 8 kilometres in length that leads to one of the other underground cities of Capadocia called Kaymakli.

All of the underground cities shared common characteristics:

• The first level was reserved for animals.

• They all had large chimneys that were used for air conditioning & communication.

• They had cafeterias, kitchens, bedrooms, rooms for wine production and large stone stoves.

• There were cavities chiselled into the walls for oil lamps.

• There were also sitting rooms, chapels, toilets and wells.

• There were even fake wells above ground to prevent the enemy from poisoning the water supply.

Archaeologists have discovered, stables, dining rooms, a church (20 by 9 metres, with a 3m ceiling), kitchens (still blackened by the soot of cooking fires), presses for wine and oil, warehouses, a school, numerous rooms and even a bar.

The underground city of Derinkuyu covers an area of 2.5 square kilometres.

The city benefitted from the existence

of an underground river. It had

water wells and a magnificent

exhaust fan. 52 wells of

ventilation were

discovered) which

astonishes engineers of the present

time.

The End