"Derinkuyu's huge underground city" a Derinkuyu Travel Page by acemj

When I first started researching for my trip to Turkey, the underground cities of Cappadocia were extremely intriguing to me. The fact that some of them may date to as far back as 4000 years ago when the Hittites built them to escape from invaders, was interesting enough. Then, to realize that they are still in good condition with working ventilation shafts and to know that they remained undiscovered as originally planned until 1964, made me all the more fascinated.

What is currently excavated is probably only about a quarter of the original "city" which is said to be about 2 square kilometers and 8 levels beneath the ground. The Hittites first built these cities and they were also used by the early Christians to escape Roman persecution. Obviously, they functioned well remaining hidden and undiscovered until so recently. The temperature remains constant under the ground year round, which allowed the inhabitants to escape the extremes of the Central Anatolia region's summers and winters.

The food storage here was sufficient for a population of around 20,000 to remain underground for eight months. The ventilation shaft were hidden at ground level ingeniously with shrubbery and provided excellent air circulation.

There are all kinds of rooms here. Kitchens, food storage, wine making areas and places for animals can all be identified.

Derinkuyu is in the southern part of Cappadocia about 29 kilometers from Nevsehir. I was in a mini-van with a small group of tourists, but you can also get here by dolmuses from Nevsehir and a bus from Aksaray. Otherwise, you'll need a car.