Discovered an abandoned 18-storey city right in the basement of a house

In 1963, while renovating his house, a local man in Turkey noticed that the chickens raised in the garden often strangely disappear when they get into an empty space in the basement. This person traces this mysterious space. After breaking down the wall under the cellar, he was amazed to see a tunnel leading to a large city.

This is the ancient city of Derinkuyu that has been abandoned for decades. 

This unexpected discovery opened up the process of excavating and renovating the ancient underground city of Derinkuyu. Later, more than 600 entrances to this ancient city were also found in the homes of people in the area.

With a unique 18-story architecture, the underground city of Derinkuyu reaches a depth of 85m above the Earth’s surface in the deepest layer. Derinkuyu is open to visitors, but visitors are limited to only 8 out of 18 basements here.

The Cappadocia region of Turkey possesses topographic features that are particularly suitable for underground houses due to the geological formations formed from a soft and dry volcanic ash rock, which makes it easy to carve or Tunnel with simple tools.

According to the Turkish Ministry of Culture, the underground city of Derinkuyu was built by the Phrygians in the 8th-7th centuries BC. It was first mentioned in a text in 370 BC.

According to research by historians and archaeologists, the city has been used for thousands of years with the first item just a place to store things, then become a place for people to hide from invasions and invasions. conflict and gradually expand the city. Residents living here can survive underground for months. At its peak, it was home to 20,000 people.

However, in the 1920s, the city was abandoned by the Greeks of Cappadocia when they evacuated to Greece during the Greco-Turkish War.

After being discovered in the 1960s, the team of excavators found rooms for a variety of purposes, including a food storage, winery, oil press and dining area. They also unearthed a small church where the faithful used to pray and a religious school.

During the city’s life, cattle were kept on floors closer to the surface so that their odors and waste did not affect the houses below. An adequate supply of clean water and ventilation shafts allows fresh air to circulate between rooms and floors. There are also large stone doors on each floor to keep out intruders.

A guide told the BBC that “life underground must be very difficult when people are only living in ‘closed clay pots’ and living under the dim light of torches”. .

In 1985, Derinkuyu city was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list and opened to visitors.