Thursday, January 15, 2009

Derinkuyu: A Mysterious Underground World

Buried deep in the Cappadocia region of Turkey, an underground labyrinth-like city called Derinkuyu exists.


 "No one knows how many underground cities lie beneath Cappadocia. Eight have been discovered, and many smaller villages, but there are doubtless more. The biggest, Derinkuyu, wasn’t discovered until 1965, when a resident cleaning the back wall of his cave house broke through a wall and discovered behind it a room that he’d never seen, which led to still another, and another. Eventually, spelunking archeologists found a maze of connecting chambers that descended at least 18 stories and 280 feet beneath the surface, ample enough to hold 30,000 people – and much remains to be excavated. One tunnel, wide enough for three people walking abreast, connects to another underground town six miles away. Other passages suggest that at one time all of Cappadocia, above and below the ground, was linked by a hidden network."


Can you imagine walking around in this place? Or living there? I'm guessing it would be a mixture of claustrophobia and awe but I would love to visit it for myself. Cappadocia is also know for its "fairy chimneys" so I have TWO reasons to visit. Anyone care to join me?


found via Coilhouse

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