Underground City

Mark, Leon, Beth, Jim and I all got to the underground city at Derinkuyu via different routes. Jim and I joined a tour today - an all day tour that went to the underground city, the beautiful Ilhala Valley, and an old monastery. Meanwhile, Beth and Leon rented a car; Mark a motorcycle. (Leon and Beth said that driving down the road in their own vehicles was "living in high cotton" and Mark never stopped grinning.)

But, the central destination for all of us was this underground city capable of housing a thousand people. These underground tunnel systems served many purposes through the ages. Our guide said that the first two layers were probably carved by Hittites 4000 years ago for food storage and animal livery. The deeper layers (we went down eight levels) were carved 2000 years ago by early Christians as safe havens from invading Persian troops or even marauding traders who wanted their absidian tools.

The whole city was subterranean - and couldn't be easily attacked. There were multiple, secret entrances hidden on the surface. People had to enter in single file. They had carved huge round stones weighing up to 1000 kilograms that they could roll in front of doorways and totally seal themselves off. Vertical shafts of 85 meters deep provided fresh air. Horizontal shafts that carried sound allowed them to communicate with other cities.

Archeologists believe that there are over 100 underground cities in this area; fourteen are open to visit. While they were intended only for temporary shelter, they were sophisticated, with different levels for cooking, wine making, animal care, housing, etc. The one we explored could hold up to 1000 people alone for up to 2 weeks.