In 1963, a resident of the Derinkuyu village was doing repairs in his house. When he started to work on the basement, he found that there was a secret room behind its wall. Further research showed that a whole network of deep labyrinth tunnels was hidden behind it.
History of the city
Derinkuyu in Cappadocia, Turkey is the largest underground city discovered to date.
The historical region of Cappadocia is generally rich in underground cities - there are more than two hundred of them! The second largest city is Kaymakli, which, by the way, is connected to Derinkuyu by an underground tunnel 8 kilometers long.
The exact date of construction of Derinkuyu is still a matter of controversy. Although, representatives of the Turkish Department of Culture believe that the city was founded in the eighth century BC.
The construction of the city is attributed to the Phrygians - ancient Indo-Europeans who worship the "great mother" Cybele. Later they converted to Christianity and expanded the caves in order to protect themselves during the Arab-Byzantine wars, and then from the invasions of the Mongol troops of Tamerlane.
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When the country turned into the Ottoman Empire, the Cappodacian Greeks professing Christianity took refuge in the underground cities.
For many years, the tunnels of the caves remained in oblivion, until local farmers began to use the cool, well-ventilated rooms for their own needs. And so, in 1963, large-scale exploration of the city began.
"Architecture" of the city
Derinkuyu is located on 8 levels, going 60-80 meters deep. At the same time, scientists believe that at the moment only 10% of the city's territory has been explored, so it is likely that there are also lower floors.
The levels are connected by ladders and cattle-driving tunnels.
The stairs are designed for one person. This could delay enemies when attacking the city.
In general, everything in the city was designed to repel enemy attacks. Intricate labyrinths of streets, the ability to isolate certain parts of the city, stone doors that could be locked from the inside and had holes for archery - all this made Derinkuyu almost invulnerable.
Up to 20 thousand people could take refuge in the city at the same time, along with their livestock and poultry.
There was everything for an autonomous existence - canteens, bakeries, oil and wine presses, craft workshops, stables, warehouses, churches, a meeting room, water tanks and even a cemetery!
A well-thought-out ventilation system with approximately 15,000 vents ensured fresh air access even to the lowest floors. The temperature in the premises was 13-15 degrees, which made it possible to keep fresh food and fresh water for a long time. The caves protected people from cold winters and hot summers.
Some scientists believe that people constantly lived in an underground city, coming to the surface only to cultivate fields. Others believe that the inhabitants of Derinkuyu hid in the dungeons only in cases of danger.
The underground and above-ground settlements are connected by about 600 entrances located in the courtyards and houses of the "outer" Derinkuyu. Some exits are disguised as wells. By the way, the townspeople covered their real wells with boulders so that enemies could not pour poison there.
One of the one-storey buildings of the village has a "central" entrance to the underground, which is locked from the inside by a large stone gate.
The entire city is carved into a soft volcanic rock called tuff. It is ideal for this purpose - soft and pliable, but hardens on contact with air.
Since 1965, Derinkuyu has been open to tourists who want to wander the winding labyrinths of its streets and imagine how people lived here hundreds of years ago.
