The underground city of Derinkuyu

Derinkuyu Underground City is located in the homonymous Derinkuyu district in Nevşehir Province, Turkey. It is on the road between Nevşehir and Niğde, at a distance of 29 km from Nevşehir.

It was opened for visitors as of 1969 and to date, only ten percent of the underground city is accessible for tourists. Its eight floors extend at a depth of approximately 85 m.

The underground city at Derinkuyu has all the usual amenities found in other underground complexes across Cappadocia, such as wine and oil presses, stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, and chapels. Unique to the Derinkuyu complex and located on the second floor is a spacious room with a barrel vaulted ceiling. It has been reported that this room was used as a religious school and the rooms to the left were studies[1].

Between the third and fourth levels is a vertical staircase. This passage way leads to a cruciform church on the lowest level.

The large 55 m ventilation shaft appears to have been used as a well. The shaft also provided water to both the villagers above and, if the outside world was not accessible, to those in hiding.

-wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org...

pictures
docs.google.com...


A friend of mine emailed this to me and thought I would share it, seeing as I couldn't find anything on the search for this. I personally like anything to do with ancient cities, but I have always liked reading up on underground cities. I can only imagine how many undiscovered underground cities that are still waiting to be found!

Mod Note: External Source Tags – Please Review This Link.

[edit on Mon Jun 15 2009 by Jbird]

Very interesting! I have always found underground dwellings intriguing!

-E-
P.S. The link to google docs for the pics requires a google account and password to view.

For Some photos and a map of the Underground city, please check

www.popgive.com...

why in hell hasn;t this ever been on Cities of the underground. Hist. channel?

Entire post deleted due to being complete BS since i misread the article source

[edit on 16/6/09 by logicalview]

[edit on 16/6/09 by logicalview]

reply to post by randyvs


It's been on some History channel, or Discovery channel. i recognize some of the pictures.

One reason it might not be on the Hist. Channel is because they only show what is allowed to be shown. They can't go and show every city because researchers are trying to hide certain cities from the Gen. Pop. because of there significance of ancient cultures.

reply to post by VenomR


Actually, I'm pretty sure it was on History Channel a bit ago, don't remember the name of the program.

The show on the History channel in question is "Cities of the Underworld"

I watched that episode too. They explained that the city was used by the people living above ground as a shelter from invaders. It was an awsome episode.

[edit on 21-6-2009 by bismarcksea]

reply to post by bismarcksea


Thought it was on Cities of the Underworld, but couldn't pull it up on the site.

Always am amazed at the ingenuity that is worked into old world designs.

[edit on 21-6-2009 by RuneSpider]

Its a great site. I was there in '94

I can recommend Cappodica and the area around Goreme as a great place to visit.

An other worldly landscape