Derinkuyu Underground City

Derinkuyu ( Turkish for deep well / shaft ) is next to the most famous of Kaymakli underground cities in Cappadocia and is located in the same place. This located 29 kilometers south of the provincial capital in the Turkish province of Nevsehir. In addition to Derinkuyu about 50 underground cities in Cappadocia are suspected; 36 have so far been discovered, but made ​​available only very few of the public. Derinkuyu is the largest accessible facility. The time of origin of these cities and also Derinkuyus is controversial. Some archaeologists see in the Hittites about 4000 years ago the builders. Others suspect that Christians have created the cities to protect against pursuers. It is certain that only the Christian inhabitants between the 6th and the 10th century gave the plant its present form.

Description

The tunnel system was discovered in 1963 by accident. Since then, eight floors were exposed, the exposed rooms have a total area of ​​2500 square meters. Already in 1965, the facility was made ​​available to the public; the lowest accessible point lies 55 feet below the surface. It is estimated that only a quarter of the original plant has been exposed.

The upper floors were primarily set up as a living and sleeping rooms, but also a wine press and a monastery complex were housed therein. Pets have also been kept underground. In the lower floors were located assembly, storage rooms and a dungeon. Several rooms in different floors were most probably used as churches, including the so-called "Shamrock Church " on the seventh floor, which is applied in the form of a cross. It has a length of 25, a width of ten and a height of three meters. Estimates of the number of residents are contradictory and vary 3000-50000. It is believed that Derinkuyu was connected by a nine-kilometer tunnel to the underground city in the neighboring village of Kaymakli.

The underground city was cordoned off by the so-called " rolling stone doors " that look like millstones. These were rolled at risk from the inside front of the entrance and made from outside is difficult to overcome obstacle Communication with the outside world could be maintained at such times over shafts leading to the outside of the first two floors. These were three to four feet long and had a diameter of ten centimeters.

In the corridors between floors

Space, which may have been used as a wine cellar

Ventilation system

Extremely complex and sophisticated works the ventilation system. From the first underground level should have led up more than 15,000 wells. On the lower floors there are fewer, but the air circulation is still working today down to the eighth floor. The ventilation system was used with its 70 to 85 meters deep shafts simultaneously to water transport. Until shortly before the discovery population Derinkuyus drew their water from this fountain, unaware of the associated cave system. Therefore, also the name of the place derives because derin kuyu in Turkish means " deep well or pit ".

Reasons for underground cities, the system

The most common theory for the motivation to plant underground cities in Cappadocia is the assumption of a need for protection. Thus, for example, Christians sought refuge from the invading Seljuk and have used as well camouflaged refuge underground cities. This is suggested by the barely openable from the outside closure stones.

Far less spectacular is the assumption that the cities were built for protection against the extreme climatic conditions of the region, because the winters are cold and snowy, summers hot and dry. The underground facilities allowed by this theory, the storage of agricultural yields at constant temperature and protected from moisture and thieves.