Derinkuyu in Turkey reaches about 85 m (279 ft) below ground across 18 levels and is estimated to have sheltered around 20,000 people. A local man breached a wall during renovations in 1962; systematic excavation began in 1963. It contains homes, kitchens, wine presses, stables, churches, storage rooms and rooms interpreted as schools. A roughly 55 m (180 ft) well and more than 50 ventilation shafts sustained life underground, while half-ton stone doors could seal passages from within. Historical accounts link it to early Christian refuge during Roman persecution. A popular Hittite-origin theory places its beginnings around 1200 BCE—not 12,000 BCE—but the builders and exact date remain unconfirmed. Kaymaklı and Özkonak are separate Cappadocian underground cities.
Derinkuyu: 18-Level Underground City With Capacity for 20,000
TürkiyeGeneral
Key facts
- Derinkuyu was discovered in 1962 when a local man knocked through a wall during renovations; systematic excavation began in 1963.
- It reaches about 85 m (279 ft) below ground across 18 levels.
- Archaeological estimates put its sheltering capacity at about 20,000 people, with room for livestock and stores of food and water.
- Known spaces include dwellings, storage rooms, kitchens, wine presses, stables, churches and rooms interpreted as schools.
- A well roughly 55 m (180 ft) deep and more than 50 ventilation shafts supported life underground.
- Round stone door stones weighing up to roughly half a ton could seal passages from inside.
- Historical accounts associate the city with early Christians seeking refuge during Roman persecution.
- A popular, unproven origin account links Derinkuyu to the Hittites around 1200 BCE, not 12,000 BCE.
- Kaymaklı and Özkonak are other Cappadocian underground cities; direct tunnel connections to Derinkuyu have not been established.
- The claimed 2012 discovery of a 5-million-square-foot, 370-foot-deep complex is not a documented Derinkuyu discovery.
Sources
Derinkuyu underground city - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
It is large enough to have sheltered as many as 20,000 people together with their livestock and food stores. It is the largest excavated underground city in ...
Derinkuyu: Strange underground city found in man's basementbigthink.com
In 1963, a man knocked down a wall in his basement and discovered a mysterious underground city. The subterranean city is up to 18 stories and ...
Turkey's underground city of 20,000 people - BBCbbc.com
The ancient city of Elengubu, known today as Derinkuyu, burrows more than 85m below the Earth's surface, encompassing 18 levels of tunnels. The ...
In 1963, A Man Found An Ancient Underground Cave City While ...iflscience.com
Carved into soft volcanic rock, the subterranean complex has 18 levels that plunge approximately 85 meters (278 feet) beneath the earth. The ...
The best Derinkuyu Underground City UNESCO sitesgetyourguide.com
Explore Derinkuyu, the largest and deepest underground city in Cappadocia. Descend through its fascinating tunnels, storage rooms, kitchens, churches, wine ...
Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadociawhc.unesco.org
subterranean cities of Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu. it one of the world's most striking and largest cave-dwelling complexes. subterranean towns such as Kaymakli or ...
Goreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia. ...whc.unesco.org
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Goreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia. Map showing the subterranean city of Derinkuyu. Map showing the ...
Was this story useful?
Keep exploring
Every site on this page sits on the globe, and the people who research them are on the Discord.
3D Globe · Sites by country · Story Archive · Research Library · Weekly Journal · Search
AI-generated text · images from the original sources · always verify with the sources.