Derinkuyu & The Underground Cities of Cappadocia - Sometimes Interesting
The underground city at Derinkuyu is neither the largest nor oldest, but it fascinates as it is the deepest of the underground cities and was only recently
Home PopularDerinkuyu & The Underground Cities of CappadociaBy Sometimes InterestingIn 1963, a man in the Nevşehir Province of Turkey knocked down a wall of his home. Behind it, he discovered a mysterious room. The man continued digging and soon discovered an intricate tunnel system with additional cave-like rooms. What he had discovered was the ancient Derinkuyu underground city, part of the Cappadocia region in central Anatolia, Turkey.The elaborate subterranean network included discrete entrances, ventilation shafts, wells, and connecting passageways. It was one of dozens of underground cities carved from the rock in Cappadocia thousands of years ago. Hidden for centuries, Derinkuyu‘s underground city is the deepest. cover photo illustration of Derinkuyu sister city KaymakliRose Valley of Cappadocia (courtesy Bjørn Christian Tørrissen)*History<img decoding="async" class="wp-image-19481 size-full" title="Derinkuyu Cappadocia Turkey underground tunnels" src="https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_280,h_205/http://sometimes-interesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Cappadocia-2-280x205-1.jpg" alt="Derinkuyu Cappadocia Turkey underground tunnels" width="280" height="205" srcset="https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_280/https://sometimes-interesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Cappadocia-2-280x205-1.jpg 280w, https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_150/https://sometimes-interesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Cappadocia-2-280x205-1-150x110.jpg 150w, https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_80/https://sometimes-interesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Cappadocia-2-280x205-1-80x60.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 280px) 100vw, 280px" />Cappadocia, TurkeyThe Cappadocia region of Anatolia is rich in volcanic history and sits on a plateau around 3,300 feet (1,000m) tall.The area was buried in ash millions of years ago creating the lava domes and rough pyramids seen today. Erosion of the sedimentary rock left pocked spires and stone minarets.Volcanic ash deposits consist of a softer rock – something the Hittites of Cappadocia discovered thousands of years ago when they began carving out rooms from the rock. It began with storage and underground food lockers; the subterranean voids maintained a constant temperature, protecting the contents from exposure to harsher surface weather extremes.<img decoding="async" class="wp-image-19483 size-full" title="Cappadocia, Turkey" src="https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_500,h_329/http://sometimes-interesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Cappadocia-500x329.jpg" alt="Cappadocia, Turkey" width="500" height="329" srcset="https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_500/https://sometimes-interesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Cappadocia-500x329.jpg 500w, https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_150/https://sometimes-interesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Cappadocia-500x329-150x99.jpg 150w, https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_280/https://sometimes-interesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Cappadocia-500x329-280x184.jpg 280w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" />Cappadocia, Turkey<img decoding="async" class="wp-image-19486 size-full" title="Derinkuyu Cappadocia Turkey underground tunnels cities" src="https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_210,h_280/http://sometimes-interesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Derinkuyu_vr_3-210x280-1.jpg" alt="Derinkuyu Cappadocia Turkey underground tunnels cities" width="210" height="280" srcset="https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_210/https://sometimes-interesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Derinkuyu_vr_3-210x280-1.jpg 210w, https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_glossy,ret_img,w_113/https://sometimes-interesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Derinkuyu_vr_3-210x280-1-113x150.jpg 113w" sizes="(max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px" />One of many hidden entrances to DerinkuyuThe underground tunneling would also serve a bigger purpose: Protect the Hittites from attack. The exact dates are unknown, but estimates range the tunnels first appeared between the 15th century and 12th century BCE. The Hittites were believed to have used the tunnels to hide from Phrygian raids.Those who subscribe to this theory point to the historic account of the Phrygian destruction of Hittite city Hattusa, along with the identification of a small number of Hittite-related artifacts found in the tunnels.An alternative suggestion has the Phrygians first building the tunnels later, between the 8th and 7th centuries BCE. They explain the discovered Hittite artifacts as being remnants from the spoils of war.This theory is reinforced by reputation: Phrygian architects are considered by archaeologists to be among the finest of the Iron Age, and known to have engaged in complex construction projects.<img decoding="async" class="alignl...