Derinkuyu
Encyclopedia
Derinkuyu is a town and district of Nevşehir Province
in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey
. According to 2010 census, population of the district is 22,114 of which 10,679 live in the town of Derinkuyu. The district covers an area of 445 km² (172 sq mi), and the average elevation is 1300 m (4,265 ft), with the highest point being Mt. Ertaş at 1988 m (6,522 ft).
Located in Cappadocia
, Derinkuyu is notable for its large multi-level underground city
(Derinkuyu Underground City
), which is a major tourist attraction. The historical region of Cappadocia
, where Derinkuyu is situated, contains several historical underground cities, carved out of a unique geological formation, and were largely used by early Christians as hiding places. They are not generally occupied. Over 200 underground cities at least two levels deep have been discovered in the area between Kayseri
and Nevşehir
, with around 40 of those having at least three levels. The troglodyte
cities at Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı
are two of the best examples of underground dwellings.
. In his Anabasis
he writes that the people living in Anatolia had excavated their houses underground, living well in accommodations large enough for the family, domestic animals, and supplies of stored food.
Derinkuyu Underground City
provided a refuge for the region's inhabitants such as Christians through the ages, for early Christians as well as possibly earlier dwellers, to Greeks hiding from the raids of the Umayyad
Arab and Abbasid
armies. The cities contained food stores, kitchens, stalls, churches, wine and oil presses, ventilation shafts, wells, and a religious school. The Derinkuyu underground city has at least eight levels and depth of 85 m and could have sheltered thousands of persons.
Nevsehir Province
Nevşehir Province is a province in central Turkey with its capital in Nevşehir. It adjacent provinces are Kırşehir to the northwest, Aksaray to the southwest, Niğde to the south, Kayseri to the southeast, and Yozgat to the northeast. Nevşehir includes the area called Cappadocia - a very popular...
in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. According to 2010 census, population of the district is 22,114 of which 10,679 live in the town of Derinkuyu. The district covers an area of 445 km² (172 sq mi), and the average elevation is 1300 m (4,265 ft), with the highest point being Mt. Ertaş at 1988 m (6,522 ft).
Located in Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
, Derinkuyu is notable for its large multi-level underground city
Underground city
An Underground city is a series of linked subterranean spaces that may provide a defensive refuge; a place for living, working or shopping; a transit system; mausolea; wine or storage cellars; cisterns or drainage channels; or several of these. The term may also refer to a network of tunnels that...
(Derinkuyu Underground City
Derinkuyu Underground City
Derinkuyu Underground City is an ancient multi-level underground city in the Derinkuyu district in Nevşehir Province, Turkey.With its eleven floors extending to a depth of approximately 85 m, it was large enough to shelter tens of thousands of people together with their livestock and food stores...
), which is a major tourist attraction. The historical region of Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
, where Derinkuyu is situated, contains several historical underground cities, carved out of a unique geological formation, and were largely used by early Christians as hiding places. They are not generally occupied. Over 200 underground cities at least two levels deep have been discovered in the area between Kayseri
Kayseri
Kayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
and Nevşehir
Nevsehir
Nevşehir, formerly Muşkara, , is a city and the capital district of Nevşehir Province in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. According to the 2010 census, population of the district is 117,890 of which 85,634 631 live in the city of Nevşehir...
, with around 40 of those having at least three levels. The troglodyte
Troglodytae
The Troglodytae or Troglodyti , were a people mentioned in various locations by many ancient Greek and Roman geographers and historians including Agatharcides, Strabo, Diodorus Siculus, Pliny, Tacitus, Josephus, etc....
cities at Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı
Kaymakli Underground City
Kaymaklı Underground City is contained within the citadel of Kaymaklı in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. First opened to tourists in 1964, the village is about 19 km from Nevşehir, on the Nevşehir-Niğde road. The ancient name was Enegup. The houses in the village are constructed around...
are two of the best examples of underground dwellings.
History
The oldest written source about underground cities is the writings of XenophonXenophon
Xenophon , son of Gryllus, of the deme Erchia of Athens, also known as Xenophon of Athens, was a Greek historian, soldier, mercenary, philosopher and a contemporary and admirer of Socrates...
. In his Anabasis
Anabasis (Xenophon)
Anabasis is the most famous work, in seven books, of the Greek professional soldier and writer Xenophon. The journey it narrates is his best known accomplishment and "one of the great adventures in human history," as Will Durant expressed the common assessment.- The account :Xenophon accompanied...
he writes that the people living in Anatolia had excavated their houses underground, living well in accommodations large enough for the family, domestic animals, and supplies of stored food.
Derinkuyu Underground City
Derinkuyu Underground City
Derinkuyu Underground City is an ancient multi-level underground city in the Derinkuyu district in Nevşehir Province, Turkey.With its eleven floors extending to a depth of approximately 85 m, it was large enough to shelter tens of thousands of people together with their livestock and food stores...
provided a refuge for the region's inhabitants such as Christians through the ages, for early Christians as well as possibly earlier dwellers, to Greeks hiding from the raids of the Umayyad
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
Arab and Abbasid
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or, more simply, the Abbasids , was the third of the Islamic caliphates. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate from all but the al-Andalus region....
armies. The cities contained food stores, kitchens, stalls, churches, wine and oil presses, ventilation shafts, wells, and a religious school. The Derinkuyu underground city has at least eight levels and depth of 85 m and could have sheltered thousands of persons.
See also
- AvanosAvanosAvanos , is a town and district of Nevşehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, located north of Nevşehir, the capital city of the province. It is situated within the historic and touristic region of Cappadocia. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 35,145 of which...
- Churches of Göreme, TurkeyChurches of Göreme, TurkeyGöreme is a district of the Nevşehir Province in Turkey. After the eruption of Mount Erciyes about 2,000 years ago, ash and lava formed soft rocks in the Cappadocia Region, covering a region of about 20,000 km2. The softer rock was eroded by wind and water, leaving the hard cap rock on top...
- Eskigümüş MonasteryEskigümüs MonasteryThe Eskigümüş rock cut monastery off the Kayseri-Niğde road near to the city of Niğde in Turkey. Eskigümüş is famed for having what is believed to be the only fresco with a smiling Theotokos....
- Ihlara ValleyIhlara ValleyIhlara is a township with own municipality in Aksaray Province, Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is situated at about from the province seat of Aksaray and near the town of Güzelyurt. The township is famed for the nearby valley of the same name, Ihlara Valley, which is a long gorge cut into volcanic...
- MokissosMokissosMokissos is the formal name for a now inactive Diocese of the Greek Orthodox Church.Mokissos was an ancient Byzantine city , located in western Cappadocia at the foot of what is now known as the Hasan Dag, southeast of Koloneia...
- Özkonak Underground CityÖzkonak Underground CityÖzkonak Underground City is an ancient city built on the northern slopes of Mt. Idis about 14 km northeast of Avanos in Turkey. The city has many strata made up of volcanic granite its larger areas are connected to each other by tunnels. Özkonak had a built in communication system of pipes to...
- Zelve MonasteryZelve MonasteryZelve Monastery was carved into the rock in pre-Iconoclastic times.The remains of the Zelve monastery complex is located on the northern slopes of Aktepe, 1 km from Paşa Bağlari and 10 km out from Göreme on the Avanos road. Zelve does not have the rich frescoes of Göreme and other...