10 interesting facts you didn’t know about Derinkuyu
As children we dreamed of secret escapes, passageways behind doors or stairs leading to secret rooms hidden beneath the floorboards. Most of us had to rely on our imaginations until we grew out of them. Yet others, whether you consider them lucky or unlucky, have actually found something hidden in their homes, out of sight of prying eyes: treasure chests, dungeons, safe rooms, or even entire cities.
That’s right, an entire city hidden behind a shutter in your house, just like the city of Derinkuyu under the world famous Cappadocia, Turkey. Being one of the most fascinating discoveries in our relatively short history, the discovery of Derinkuyu showed us a world that few (perhaps no one) knew existed. Here are ten interesting things you didn’t know about the lost city of Derinkuyu.
Related: Ten bizarre discoveries about ancient civilizations and our ancestors
10 Discovered by accident
After remaining untouched and undisturbed for decades, the city was discovered not by a team with chisels and brushes sent from the Archeology Department of a prestigious university, but rather by an unassuming local in search of his poultry. The craziest thing about the discovery was that it was found by accident.
In 1963, an unassuming Turkish man noticed that the number of chickens in his flock was decreasing and decided to make a closer inspection. He was doing some renovation work at the time when he saw his chickens jumping through cracks in the wall of his basement, never to return. He grabbed his tools and began excavating the site, knocking down a few walls before coming across a dark passage beneath his house.
It was the first of nearly 600 entrances found in private homes, buildings and caves in the area, all leading to the mysterious city. [1]
9 More than 2000 years old
What makes this discovery so much more interesting is the fact that it has stood the test of time.
Built in the year 7-8 BC (over two thousand years ago), the Hittites began building the first caves, which later became part of the city, with the Phyrigians probably building what we see today through most of add the city. . From the early days, when the city was just a few holes in the ground, it took quite a long period of time before the inhabitants of the caves began to expand as their needs changed, adding chambers, chapels and chambers.
Compared to other lost cities of the time, it is remarkable that Derinkuyu has remained intact and largely untouched, with cities of a similar age often falling into disrepair. The city of Pompei is a perfect example, founded around the same time as Derinkuyu. Yet it could not survive a massive volcanic eruption that leveled the city and all who remained within its borders.[2]
8 Hiding place
Although there is evidence that the underground rooms and chambers may have been used as storage for goods, their primary purpose was security.
In the second century, Christianity was not yet recognized as a true religion. It was therefore persecuted as a sect or sect, requiring its practitioners to worship in secret. They generally sought shelter in underground chambers, sometimes with secret places of worship, mainly to escape Roman persecution. A world of its own, safely hidden away under rock and stone.
But since Derinkuyu was also used by Jews (many early Christians were also Jews), the city had several places of worship while the religious took refuge underground. It was during the Islamic invasions (7th century) that the city experienced its heyday as people went underground in the hope of avoiding imprisonment or worse.[3]
7 Similar cities
It may come as a surprise, but Derinkuyu is not the only underground city on earth. In fact, it’s not even the only one in the region. Cappadocia is ideally suited to underground formations, as the lack of water in the soil and the malleable nature of the rock mean it can easily be shaped into something useful.
After the excavations of Derinkuyu began, it became quite clear that the extensive network stretched for miles, leading some experts to consider the possibility that there are more similar cities. It is thought that more than 40 separate underground cities have also been discovered in the region, all of which may be connected by the tunnel system we know today. A series of linked channels creates a gigantic underground network.
One such town is Kaymakli, which, like Derinkuyu, offers many interesting discoveries, but on a smaller scale, with narrower passageways and claustrophobic rooms.[4]
6 Largest of the underground cities
Although there are quite a few of them, Derinkuyu is by far the largest of the underground cities, based on its sheer size and historical population.
At one point the city had 20,000 people, which required a lot of space and inventive architecture. In total, the city descends 18 floors (or 85 meters), deeper than any other underground complex in the region. It was equipped with stables, churches, shelter and storage space for food and wine.
The upper, well-ventilated floors were mostly used as shelter for the weary refugees, while the lower floors were used for purposes other than shelter. They even had a dungeon if things got too noisy within the city limits.[5]
5 The city was safe
Aside from the fact that the entire city was built underground, hidden by hatches and secret entrances, the city was also uniquely designed to withstand an attack.
Protected by large doors made of stone wheels that could be rolled in front of the main entrances, the doors formed a wall-like defense two feet thick that made it almost impossible to penetrate from the outside. There were also dividing doors and stairs between the different levels of Derinkuyu, which further complicated matters.
The best defense of all was that the narrow tunnels acted as chokepoints, funneling enemy forces and forcing them to attack in single file, making them easy to pick off. A violent claustrophobic nightmare that wiped out superior enemy forces to the point where a frontal assault would be almost futile.[6]
4 Ventilation shafts and water wells
For people to survive in one specific place for long periods of time, there must be enough fresh water to support the population, and since the city is built underground, a reliable oxygen supply is also vital.
Once the city was sealed off from the outside, it was well ventilated by more than 15,000 perfectly planned shafts, about 4 inches wide and reaching all the way to the first and second floors of the city. This provided adequate ventilation (for long-term human presence) on eight levels.
They also devised a way to transport water through the different levels, with some ventilation shafts also doubling as sources that supply water to the city. Ironically, some surface dwellers even used the vents to fetch water, unaware that there is an entire hidden city below.[7]
3 Vaulted ceiling
On the second floor of Derinkuyu you may find the most distinctive quality.
Although there are many valuable historical sites, Derinkuyu is the only city in the world built entirely underground and with barrel vaulted ceilings. A type of decorative ceiling used to soften the edges of a room or make it appear larger. The architectural design was also traditionally found in Byzantine missionary schools. The city features impressive high ceilings with adjoining studies or residences.
These unique rooms were reportedly used for religious schools, which makes sense as the city’s purpose may have been necessitated by attacks on religious freedoms.[8]
2 To leave
All good things eventually come to an end, even if the good in question is a city of loneliness for your family and friends.
When the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) ended, the two countries involved in the skirmish agreed in 1923 to trade minorities, a move intended as an attempt to make their populations more “ethnically homogenized.”
This meant that the Cappadocian Greeks who had populated Derinkuyu at the time packed up and left, taking with them the knowledge of the underground city and leaving behind only shadows and hints that the tunnels were once a densely populated city. They never returned to the city, but who can blame them, considering that life underground wasn’t necessarily all it was cracked up to be?[9]
1 Not the biggest
What makes these discoveries so exciting is that it seems like the exploration isn’t over yet.
In 2013, archaeologists exploring the area found what they believed to be a newly discovered city in Nevsehir, in the same region. It’s fascinating to imagine that there might be another city that is even bigger and has a more extensive network of tunnels than Derinkuyu. This newly found ancient city is said to be located beneath a hilltop castle and could go as deep as 113 metres.
The excavation came to light during demolition for a new housing project, and scientists have since uncovered a multi-level sanctuary with kitchen chapels, oil presses, air shafts and a winery. Results from 2015 studies indicate that the new city could be up to a third larger than Derinkuyu, although it is not yet open to the public.
Maybe it’s time to take a hammer to your basement wall in search of other hidden cities.[10]