Derinkuyu

Derinkuyu Underground City: Cappadocia’s Deepest Subterranean World
Located 29 kilometers from Nevsehir, Derinkuyu Underground City is one of Cappadocia’s most fascinating historical sites. First opened to visitors in 1969, only 10% of the underground city is accessible today. With 8 known levels extending 85 meters underground—and possibly three more yet to be excavated—it is estimated that Derinkuyu once housed up to 20,000 people.

Currently, four floors are open to the public. A 55-meter-deep circular ventilation shaft, which also functioned as a well, provided fresh water both for those underground and for villagers above. Ingeniously designed rolling stone doors allowed each level to be sealed off independently for security.

One of Derinkuyu’s most unique features is its spacious barrel-vaulted ceiling on the second floor, believed to have been a religious school. A vertical staircase between the third and fourth levels leads to a cruciform church, located at the deepest accessible level.

History of Derinkuyu
The Phrygians first carved Derinkuyu into the soft volcanic rock between the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Later, between the 5th and 10th centuries AD, the Byzantines expanded the city, using it as a refuge for Christians fleeing persecution—first from the Romans and later from Arab raids.

Derinkuyu is just one of 36 underground cities in Cappadocia, but it holds the distinction of being the deepest. It is also believed to be connected to Kaymakli Underground City via an 8-kilometer tunnel, further highlighting the region’s vast and intricate subterranean networks.