Imagine you’re a farmer in Central Anatolia back in 1963. You’re knocking down a wall in your basement for a little extra space, and instead of finding dirt, you find a dark, yawning hole. That’s exactly how the most famous underground city of Turkey, Derinkuyu, was rediscovered. It wasn't a team of archaeologists with brushes and tiny hammers. It was just a guy with a sledgehammer. Honestly, the scale of what he found is hard to wrap your head around even when you're standing right in the middle of it.
Turkey’s Cappadocia region is basically a block of Swiss cheese made of soft volcanic tuff. Over thousands of years, people realized they could carve into this rock with relative ease. But they didn't just build homes. They built massive, multi-level subterranean bunkers that could house 20,000 people at a time. This wasn't some primitive "caveman" setup. We’re talking about a sophisticated urban design with ventilation shafts, stables, wineries, and even schools.
The Real Reason People Went Underground
People don't just decide to live 200 feet below the surface because the rent is cheap. They do it because they're terrified.
The history of the underground city of Turkey is a history of invasion. While the Hittites might have started some of the excavations as early as the 15th century BCE, the bulk of the expansion happened during the Byzantine era. When the Arab-Byzantine wars kicked off between the 7th and 11th centuries, these cities became the ultimate panic rooms. When an army rolled through the plains above, the locals didn't fight. They vanished.
They’d grab the kids, the goats, and the grain, then head downstairs. Once inside, they would roll massive circular stone doors—some weighing over a thousand pounds—across the narrow entrances. These stones could only be moved from the inside. It was a perfect defense. If an unlucky invader actually managed to find an entrance and squeeze through the tiny, claustrophobic tunnels, they’d be picked off one by one by defenders waiting in the dark.
How Life Actually Functioned at -18 Stores Deep
It’s easy to think of these places as damp, smelly dungeons. But the engineering is actually kind of brilliant. The main ventilation shaft at Derinkuyu drops about 55 meters (180 feet) straight down. It provided fresh air to the deep layers and doubled as a well. The upper levels were usually reserved for livestock because, well, animals smell, and you don't want that wafting through your living room.
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Food storage was the priority. You’ll see thousands of small niches carved into the walls where jars of olive oil, wine, and grain were kept. The temperature stays a constant 13 to 15 degrees Celsius (around 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit) year-round. It’s nature’s refrigerator.
They even had "bathrooms," though they weren't exactly spa-like. Usually, these were just designated pits or pots that would be hauled out when the coast was clear. You have to wonder about the psychological toll. Living in total darkness, lit only by small oil lamps, while an army burns your crops a hundred feet above your head? That's heavy.
Kaymakli vs. Derinkuyu: Which One Matters?
While Derinkuyu is the deepest, Kaymakli is arguably the widest and most intricately designed. They are actually connected by a tunnel, though it’s mostly collapsed now. If you're visiting, you'll notice Kaymakli feels a bit more "organized." The spaces are wider. You can clearly see where the kitchen was because the walls are still black with soot from cooking fires.
There are over 200 of these sites in Cappadocia, but only a handful are open to the public.
- Ozkonak: Famous for its "death traps." They carved holes above the tunnels so they could pour boiling oil on intruders.
- Mazikoy: Built into the side of a valley, which gave it a slightly different layout and better natural drainage.
- Tatlarin: This one has some of the best-preserved toilets and larger communal spaces, suggesting it might have been a military garrison or a monastery.
The Engineering Mysteries That Stun Modern Architects
One thing experts like Dr. A. Bertini have noted is the lack of collapses. Think about that. These cities were carved into soft rock thousands of years ago. They don't have steel rebar. They don't have concrete pillars. Yet, they haven't caved in. The builders understood "load-bearing" before it was a formal science. They left thick pillars of natural rock in exactly the right places to support the weight of the levels above.
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Even the air quality is better than some modern subway systems. The ventilation shafts were designed to create a natural chimney effect. Even on the bottom levels, the air doesn't feel stale. It’s a bit chilling to realize that medieval "peasants" had a better grasp of airflow than many of our 20th-century architects.
Common Misconceptions
A lot of people think people lived here 365 days a year. They didn't. Most evidence suggests these were temporary shelters. You’d stay down there for a few weeks, maybe a few months, until the invaders got bored and moved on. Once the threat passed, everyone moved back up to their surface houses to farm. Living permanently underground would eventually cause some pretty serious Vitamin D deficiencies and health issues, and the Byzantines weren't stupid. They knew they needed the sun.
Another myth is that these were "secret" cities that nobody knew about. In reality, the local communities knew they were there for centuries. They used the upper levels as storage cellars or stables. It was only the extent of the cities—the fact that they went down 18 stories—that was a surprise to the modern world.
Why You Might Hate Visiting (And Why You Should Go Anyway)
If you’re claustrophobic, the underground city of Turkey will be your personal nightmare. Some of the connecting tunnels are so low you have to duck-walk for thirty feet. It's tight. It’s dark. It’s crowded.
But there is something deeply humbling about standing in a 1,000-year-old church carved into the deep earth. You can see the places where they carved out small "cupboards" for their belongings. You see the grooves in the floor where they rolled the heavy door stones. It’s a very raw, very human connection to the past. It’s not a museum behind glass; it’s a space where people lived, prayed, and hid for their lives.
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Planning Your Visit: What to Actually Do
If you’re planning to head to Nevşehir to see these for yourself, don’t just show up at noon. That’s when the tour buses from the coastal resorts arrive, and the tunnels turn into a subterranean traffic jam.
- Go Early or Late: Get to Derinkuyu at 8:00 AM sharp. You want to be in the tunnels before the crowds. Being alone in those deep chambers is a completely different experience than being stuck behind a group of forty people.
- Wear Grippy Shoes: The floors are worn smooth by millions of feet and can be surprisingly slick.
- Bring a Jacket: Even if it’s 100 degrees in the Turkish sun outside, it’s going to be chilly down there.
- Hire a Local Guide: The signage is okay, but a good guide will point out the small things you’d miss—like the small holes in the walls used for communication between floors (the original intercom system).
Actionable Steps for the Subterranean Traveler
To get the most out of the experience, don't just stick to the main "tourist" loops.
- Check out Mazi or Gaziemir: These are less crowded than Derinkuyu and Kaymakli. Gaziemir is particularly cool because it includes an underground caravanserai—basically a hotel for silk road traders and their camels.
- Stay in a Cave Hotel: In Goreme or Uchisar, you can sleep in a modern version of these carved rooms. It gives you a sense of the acoustics and the "feel" of the rock without the 18-story climb.
- Research the Hittite Connection: If you're a history nerd, look into the Hattusa ruins first. It gives you context on the people who might have started the very first excavations in the region.
- Watch Your Head: Seriously. If you’re over 5'10", you are going to bump your skull at least twice.
The underground cities aren't just "sights" to see. They are monuments to human endurance. They show exactly how far people will go to protect their families and their way of life. When the world above got too dangerous, they simply built a new one below. It’s a bit of ancient history that feels weirdly relevant today.
Next Steps:
If you're heading to Cappadocia, start by booking your accommodation in Goreme or Uchisar to stay central. Dedicate one full morning to Derinkuyu and the afternoon to the Ihlara Valley, which is where many of the people who used these cities actually lived and farmed. Pack a headlamp if you want to see the details in the deeper, unlit niches of the smaller cities.