Exploring our past has always intrigued me. Imagining how people lived, where they lived and the means to survive. Today we look at the "underground city" of Derinkuyu in Turkey. There are literally 200 underground cities in Turkey with Derinkuyu being the most infamous.
Derinkuyu is an ancient multilayer underground city that supported life for perhaps up to 20,000+ people many years ago. Today, it is a popular tour destination and is excavated so that you can indeed see the unique living conditions for these people. It appears that the depth of the city is over 60 feet and contained several floor levels. There are nearly 100 miles of tunnels and these cities were used from generation to generation.
First we visit greater city of Cappadocia by air to take in this city and more. The popular balloon rides provide an arial view of the city and mountains of this area. It's crazy how they can control these balloons so close to each other.
The area is so vast this is the only way to travel and get a view of Cappadocia. This is a very old volcanic mountain area that is historic for its wars, it's underground cities and culture.
Best way to get the views, you can see the caves and homes built into the various rock formations. Notice the chimney homes...this is a "defensive strategy" for safety.
This is all about protection and safety from others. Back then, wars were common in this area and people sought safety in caves, rock mountains and underground.
The lands are not very fertile, harsh climate which means not easy to grow crops to live.
Years ago, people were persecuted for the faith and various religions. Church areas are literally underground so people could practice their faith.
Don't look for a 7/11 on the corner for your goods. This is a very desolate area. These were built for safety in the times of constant waring factions.
The beauty of Cappadocia will be here for much longer than we are. It will tell stories for years and years.
If you are in Turkey and love exploring the past, I think you will have an extremely interesting time in Cappadocia and obviously all the underground cities.
Thank you for reading.