Cappadocia’s underground cities, like the region’s unusual fairy chimneys, have become famous worldwide. Discover the intriguing history of Turkey’s Kaymakli and Derinkuyu cities.
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The Phrygians, who cut their living spaces into the region’s soft volcanic rock, are thought to have created the underground cities of Cappadocia around the eighth and seventh century BCE. Cappadocia comprises roughly 200 cities, with Derinkuyu and Kaymakli being the most popular.
The underground cities were built to protect residents from foreign attacks while allowing thousands of people to live in complete privacy. During the attacks on Timur in the 14th century, the caverns offered Christians a safe refuge from the Mongolian threat. They allowed individuals to escape persecution throughout the Ottoman Empire, even in the 20th century.
The underground cities were abandoned in 1923, following the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, and were not uncovered until 1963. According to legend, a resident discovered a weird room hidden behind a wall in his home, and the rest is history.
Derinkuyu Underground City
Derinkuyu, one of Cappadocia’s most famous underground cities, was built during the Byzantine Empire to defend its people from Muslim Arabs during the Arab-Byzantine wars between 780 and 1180 CE. The multi-level metropolis was made up of various passages and caverns that were 60 metres (197 feet) below the earth and could house 20,000 people and their animals and food. It is without a doubt Cappadocia’s deepest underground city (and in all of Turkey). In 1969, Derinkuyu was started to the public; however, only half of the city was visible.
The city featured two massive stone doors locked from the inside in case of a potential threat in its prime. Even though the residents were hidden, they lived underground lives as fully as they would have in an above-ground city: wine cellars, stables, and churches have all been discovered. A vast chamber with vaulted ceilings, which is said to have been a religious school with separate study rooms, is one of the most stunning locations in Derinkuyu. Derinkuyu was likewise linked to the other underground cities by a complicated system of tunnels.
Kaymakli Underground City
Kaymakli Underground City, formerly known as Enegup in ancient times, was also utilised as a haven for locals throughout the Arab-Byzantine wars for several centuries. It was greatly expanded during this period to the point that it finally became Turkey’s largest underground metropolis. Kaymakli’s population reached roughly 3,500 people, according to estimates.
In 1985 It was assigned as a World Heritage Site after it was first opened to the public in 1964. It drops eight floors down, although only the first four are accessible to guests, and they are roughly 20m (66ft) below ground. The wealthiest households, on average, resided closer to the surface. Stables, storage rooms (some are still used today), old homes, a church, and communal kitchens, where meals were formerly made en masse for the city’s population, may all be found when exploring Kaymakli.
You’ll see plenty of enormous, round stones as you stroll around this underground maze, which was formerly rolled in front of entrances as barriers to defend the locals from potential assaults. To prevent being disoriented, remember to pay attention to the red arrows that lead you down and the blue arrows that lead you up.
Kaymakli’s tunnels are notably narrower, lower, and steeply inclined than those of their neighbouring underground city, Derinkuyu — something to consider if you’re claustrophobic. A 9-kilometre (5.6-mile) tunnel connects the two; however, it is not public. However, you can drive between Kaymakli and Derinkuyu in just 10 minutes, so if you want to see both in one day, it’s possible.
How to Visit the Underground Cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli
Regular dolmuş (shared cab or minibus) services run from the nearby city of Nevşehir to Derinkuyu and Kaymakli. If you’re staying in Göreme, take a dolmuş to Nevşehir (around 15-20 minutes) or drive there straight if you have a hire vehicle. It takes about 20 minutes to go to Kaymakli and 30 minutes to get to Derinkuyu from Nevşehir over a single well-paved road.
The entry prices for each underground city vary significantly from year to year, but they usually cost roughly 60 Turkish lira (£5). Children under the age of 8 are stated free of charge.
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