The ancient subterranean city was found by workers demolishing homes in the country's Cappadocia region

Apr 4, 2015 08:41 GMT  ·  By

A couple of years ago, workers demolishing homes in Turkey's Cappadocia region chanced to find an underground network of rooms and tunnels. Soon enough, this hidden infrastructure was revealed to be a subterranean city built about 5,000 years back. 

In a recent investigation, a team of Nevşehir University researchers turned to seismic tomography and geophysical resistivity to try and get a better idea of the city's anatomy and figure out just how big this ancient settlement might be.

They found evidence that the rooms and tunnels that comprise the subterranean city cover a surface of about 460,000 square meters (almost 5 million square feet), with some of the tunnels believed to go as deep as 113 meters (371 feet), DM informs.

The Nevşehir University scientists behind this research project estimate that, all in all, the underground settlement consists of about 7 kilometers (3.5 miles) of tunnels connecting a whole lot of rooms. Otherwise put, there's plenty of excavation work left to do.

Why was this subterranean city built?

As mentioned, the city was erected (or, better said, dug up) about 5,000 years ago. It sits right beneath an ancient fortress in present-day Turkey's Cappadocia region and its surrounding area, which is why researchers believe it was meant to serve as a safe haven.

Since the city hasn't yet been completely excavated, its exact anatomy remains a mystery. Still, it is believed that it comprises living spaces, kitchens, and even tombs and churches, all neatly arranged on several levels connected by staircases.

The settlement was most likely built to protect people living in this corner of the world in ancient times from invaders. Researchers suspect that, when threatened, men, women and children would retreat in the underground and remained hidden until it was safe to return to their homes.

Another underground city sits nearby

This 5,000-year-old subterranean settlement isn't Turkey's only ancient underground city. On the contrary, it was in the 1960's that another such network of rooms and settlements arranged on several levels was discovered in the Derinkuyu district in the country's Nevşehir Province.

This other ancient underground city is estimated to reach a depth of 60 meters (nearly 200 feet). In its heydays, it could accommodate up to 20,000 people and keep them safe while invaders stormed the region, archaeologists and historians explain.

Like the hidden settlement discovered by workers in 2013, this other city, named Derinkuyu after the district where it is located, is quite complex and comprises living quarters, kitchens, bathrooms, communal rooms, and even wells and stables for animals.

Interestingly, Derinkuyu was too discovered quite by mistake. Thus, the city was found by a man while tearing down one of the walls of his basement. Despite the fact that it was discovered decades ago, the city has not yet been fully excavated.

The two underground settlements sit fairly close to one another
The two underground settlements sit fairly close to one another

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Photo shows part of the underground city of Derinkuyu
The two underground settlements sit fairly close to one another
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