Derinkuyu is an incredible underground city in Turkey carved into volcanic rock, reaching depths of 85 meters with 18 levels. Bones found here date to the 8th-7th century BC Phrygian period, though the original builders remain debated. It could shelter 20,000+ people and was later used by early Christians hiding from Roman persecution. Only a portion (around 10%) of the underground city is accessible to visitors, with 8 levels open to the public.
Derinkuyu Underground City: 8-level underground city with 20,000 capacity
TürkiyeGeneral
Key facts
- 85 meters deep underground city with 8 levels open to public
- Only 10% of the underground city is accessible to visitors; 90% remains closed
- Bones found at the site date to the Hittite period (1600 BC)
- Stone cannot be dated, so the original builders remain unknown
- Total depth reaches 13 floors underground
- Could accommodate more than 20,000 people
- Connected to another underground city via an 8km tunnel
- Carved into soft volcanic rock using obsidian and metal tools
- Cooking was done only at night to avoid detection by enemies
- Served as hiding place for early Christians from Roman persecution
- Probably began as natural lava tubes that were expanded by humans
Site mentioned
Sources
Lost Underground Cityearthdate.org
Around 3,000 years ago, the Hittites began to carve the underground city of Derinkuyu. It was expanded by Christians throughout the Middle ...
Derinkuyu underground cityen.wikipedia.org
Derinkuyu underground city ; Carved volcanic rock · 8th-7th century BC · Phrygians, Byzantines, Christians, Cappadocian Greeks, Armenians.
Derinkuyu: Strange underground city found in man's ...bigthink.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 20000 peoplebbc.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 ...
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