Derinkuyu is located in the central Anatolian region of Cappadocia, right in Turkey. The region is best known for its huge underground passages, vaults and rooms. Particularly fascinating: the widely branched cave systems were formed hundreds of years ago, some researchers even assume several thousand years.
Only rediscovered in the 20th century
Derinkuyu was only rediscovered a few decades ago – by accident. A man in the (aboveground) city of Derinkuyu had his house renovated. By chance he came across the cave system under his house, which stretched downwards from floor to floor and just didn’t want to end.
In retrospect, it is hard to believe that the city remained hidden for so long: After all, the city had been built several centuries ago and offered enough space for several thousand people.
Turkish cave city Derinkuyu: Several thousand square meters in size
In total, the underground city of Derinkuyu with all its rooms discovered so far is estimated to be at least 2,500 square meters. The city’s furnishings included living and common rooms, a church and a dungeon, but also a number of rooms for pets and farm animals.
The deepest floors of the underground cave city are more than 100 meters underground. Located on the 12th floor underground, they had everything needed for a long term stay. Benches and containers were roughly carved directly into the stone. Stables and storerooms were mainly housed on the higher floors. A special advantage: Due to the underground location, the temperature here was relatively constant at ten degrees Celsius, even in summer.
Thanks to a ventilation system, the city was also sufficiently supplied with oxygen. The residents of Derinkuyu were also able to communicate with each other via the tubes that were drawn in vertically between the floors.
Perfect camouflage: Cave towns in Cappadocia are hardly recognizable from the outside
The cave cities in Cappadocia were hardly recognizable from the outside, not only because of the underground construction: From the outside, the few entrances to the cave labyrinth were cleverly camouflaged by bushes and shrubs and closed by large stones. But even if an attacker could discover the city and penetrate the interior, the corridors and shafts in the city were so complicated that he would probably quickly lose his bearings.
Swell: “holiday guru”, Wikipedia: Derinkuyu, “world”