Above ground, Cappadocia feels otherworldly. Wind-carved fairy chimneys rise from dusty valleys, their pale pink and honey-coloured rock glowing under the Turkish sun. Hot-air balloons drift overhead at dawn, and hikers trace paths through canyons shaped by ancient volcanoes. Yet beneath this dramatic landscape lies something even more astonishing. More than 85 metres below the surface, an entire underground city once sheltered thousands of people, hidden from view for centuries.This vast subterranean settlement, now known as Derinkuyu, remained in near-constant use for thousands of years. It was not a temporary refuge or a single cave system, but a fully functioning city carved deep into the earth, capable of sustaining life for months at a time.
Derinkuyu underground city: A buried metropolis that housed 20,000 people
Derinkuyu is the largest excavated underground city in the world. Stretching across 18 levels, it descends deeper than a modern skyscraper is tall. Tunnels, chambers and rooms extend for miles beneath Cappadocia, forming a complex network that once housed as many as 20,000 people.Originally known as Elengubu, the city passed through the hands of multiple civilisations. The Phrygians, Persians and later Byzantine Christians all expanded and adapted it over centuries as reported by BBC. Its final chapter came in the early 20th century, when Cappadocian Greeks fled the region during the Greco-Turkish War, abandoning the underground city almost overnight.What makes Derinkuyu even more remarkable is the suggestion that it was not alone. Archaeologists believe it may be linked to more than 200 smaller underground cities across the region, forming a hidden network beneath the Anatolian plains.
Derinkuyu underground city rediscovered after centuries of silence
For centuries, Derinkuyu slipped from collective memory. Its rediscovery in 1963 was not the result of a planned excavation, but a domestic mystery. A local resident, frustrated by chickens repeatedly vanishing into a crack in his home, decided to investigate. While renovating, he uncovered a dark passageway behind a wall.That opening led to one of more than 600 entrances now known to exist, many hidden inside private homes. Excavations soon revealed an underground world complete with living quarters, food stores, stables, chapels, schools and wineries. In 1985, Cappadocia and its subterranean cities were recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
How Cappadocia’s geology allowed an underground civilisation
Cappadocia’s geology made this extraordinary feat possible. The region’s soft volcanic rock, known as tuff, is easy to carve yet strong enough to remain stable. Combined with dry soil and minimal groundwater, it created ideal conditions for deep excavation using simple tools.Over millennia, the same volcanic material formed the fairy chimneys above ground. Below the surface, it allowed ancient builders to sculpt vast underground chambers with remarkable precision, long before modern engineering existed. The origins of Derinkuyu remain partly uncertain. Some historians credit the Hittites, who may have carved the earliest levels around 1200 BCE while seeking refuge from invading forces. Artefacts found within the city support this theory.However, much of the expansion is attributed to the Phrygians, an Iron Age civilisation known for their rock-cut architecture. As empires rose and fell across Anatolia, each group adapted the city to meet new needs, turning it into a layered record of human survival.
Survival and daily life inside the underground city
Although Derinkuyu was likely used for storage in peaceful times, its primary purpose was protection. Cappadocia sat at the crossroads of empires, making it vulnerable to repeated invasions. Underground living offered safety when surface settlements were at risk.During the Byzantine era, particularly amid 7th-century raids, Derinkuyu reached its peak. Narrow corridors forced intruders to move single file, while massive circular stone doors could be rolled shut from the inside. Small holes in these doors allowed defenders to strike attackers while remaining protected. Living underground was far from comfortable. Residents relied on torchlight, stored waste in sealed clay jars and designated specific areas for the dead. Yet the city was carefully organised. Livestock were kept near the surface to manage odours and gases, while deeper levels housed homes, schools and communal spaces.Evidence of winemaking, including vats and amphorae, suggests that inhabitants prepared for long stays below ground. A Byzantine missionary school, identified by its distinctive vaulted ceilings, still stands within the maze of tunnels.
How air shafts and wells sustained life in Derinkuyu
Perhaps the most impressive feature of Derinkuyu is its ventilation system. More than 50 shafts circulated fresh air throughout the city, ensuring survival even when entrances were sealed. A deep well supplied clean water and could be cut off from the surface to prevent contamination.These systems suggest that air and water were central to the city’s original design. Without them, life underground on such a scale would have been impossible. Derinkuyu is the largest, but it is only one piece of a much larger puzzle. Over 200 underground cities have been discovered across Cappadocia, many connected by tunnels stretching up to 9 kilometres. Some descend three or more levels deep, each equipped with escape routes for emergencies.In 2014, archaeologists uncovered another massive underground settlement beneath Nevşehir, hinting that Cappadocia’s hidden world may still be far from fully revealed.
Derinkuyu’s legacy beneath Cappadocia today
Derinkuyu’s story ended in 1923 when its final inhabitants left. For decades, it lay silent beneath the fairy chimneys, known only to the earth above it. Today, visitors can descend into its narrow passages and experience the unsettling reality of life underground.What was once a place of fear and survival now stands as a testament to human ingenuity. Beneath Cappadocia’s beautiful surface lies a reminder that some of history’s greatest achievements were built not towards the sky, but deep into the ground. Go to Source