Hakan Ogun: The Lost Underground City of Derinkuyu

The Derinkuyu underground city is an ancient multi-level underground city in the Derinkuyudistrict in Nevsehir Province, Turkey. Extending to a depth of approximately 60 m (200 feet), it is large enough to have sheltered as many as 20,000 people together with their livestock and food stores. It is the largest excavated underground city in Turkey and is one of several underground complexes found across Cappadocia. The underground city at Derinkuyu could be closed from the inside with large stone doors. Each floor could be closed off separately. The city could accommodate as many as 20,000 people and had all the usual amenities found in other underground complexes across Cappadocia, such as wine and oil presses, stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, and chapels.