The Derinkuyu underground city is a massive underground network of caves and subterranean dwellings located in the Derinkuyu district of Nevşehir Province in Turkey. The caves may have been in use by the Phrygians, an ancient Indo-European people, as far back as the 8th-7th centuries BCE. However, it was later during the time of the Byzantine Empire that the underground city saw its most significant expansion, with the city eventually large enough to shelter 20,000 people, as well as having additional room for food stores and livestock. The city extensively developed, descending 18 stories below ground and featured storerooms, kitchens, cellars, chapels, and even a winery. As the Christian Byzantine Empire found itself beset with invasions from Muslim powers over the centuries, the local inhabitants of Derinkuyu used the underground city as a place of shelter during these times of war and conflict. Eventually the tunnels were abandoned as the Christian population of Derinkuyu moved out of the area – however, the city still remains as a reminder of the ingenuity of its former inhabitants.
What is most fascinating about this labyrinthic city of caves is that it was discovered in modern times. In 1963, a man renovating his home in Cappadocia found a hidden room behind a wall in his basement. Further digging revealed the enormous eighteen levels of the city. Today, you can visit the world’s deepest underground city and explore eight of the eighteen levels, which offer an amazing insight into the complex history of the region and civilisations’ ability to adapt to the circumstances of their time.