Underground City Of DERINKUYU

 

UNDERGROUND CITY OF DERINCUYU

This is located in the homonymous district in Nevsehir Province, Turkey. It is on the road between Nevsehir and Nigde, at a distance of 29 km from Nevsehir.

It was opened for visitors as of 1969 and to date, only ten percent of the  is accessible for tourists. Its eight floors extend at a depth of approximately 85 m. The at  has all the usual amenities found in other  complexes across Cappadocia, such as wine and oil presses, stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, and chapels. Unique to the  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

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.