May 21, 2026, 11:18 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Imagine having to renovate your house and suddenly discovering a mysterious room behind a wall that you never knew existed. This is exactly what happened to a man in Turkey more than 50 years ago. What he found beyond the room defies imagination–and is now a major attraction.
It was in 1963 when a resident of the small Turkish town of Derinkuyu in Cappadocia made a discovery during the renovation of his house that turned out to be a real sensation. When he tore down a wall in the basement, another room suddenly appeared behind it. Growing curious, the man continued to dig and soon encountered a narrow, dark passageway leading to a sprawling tunnel system. The tunnels led to more rooms, some small, others as large as halls.
What the man found beneath his house was nothing less than the vast underground city of Derinkuyu, whose origins are believed to date back several thousand years. The underground structure is enormous. Since the discovery of the tunnels, eight floors have been uncovered. The deepest accessible point today is 55 meters below the earth’s surface. The rooms cover a total area of 2,500 square meters. However, archaeologists estimate that only a quarter of the original complex has been excavated so far.
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Sophisticated Construction System
The upper floors contained sleeping and living quarters, while the lower levels were used for food storage and assembly purposes. There was also said to be a prison down there. On the seventh floor, there is a 25-meter-long and 10-meter-wide room shaped like a cross–presumably a church. Additionally, there was a wine cellar, stables for animals, a dining hall, several chapels, and a school.
Thousands of ventilation shafts ensured adequate air circulation. At the same time, the shafts were used for water transport, reaching down to the groundwater at depths of up to 85 meters. For centuries, the residents of the above-ground city of Derinkuyu used these wells for their own water supply, without the slightest idea that they were part of a vast, sophisticated residential complex below. After its discovery in 1963, several heavy closure stones were found on the surface, which the residents of the underground city once used to seal the exits to the outside world so that they could not be opened from the outside.
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Who Lived in the Underground City?
Between 20,000 and 50,000 people are believed to have found space in the underground city. Some researchers believe that ancient Derinkuyu was built more than 4,000 years ago by the Hittites. Others suggest that Christians once used the caves as a refuge to protect against persecution. This is supported by the massive rolling stone doors, which were an insurmountable obstacle for intruders from outside. It is also possible that the underground city was simply built to protect against the climate of Cappadocia. In the summer, it is extremely hot and dry, while in the winter, it is cold and snowy.
Today, Derinkuyu, along with the also underground city of Kaymaklı, is one of the most famous attractions in Cappadocia. As early as 1969, Derinkuyu was opened to the public. About half of the excavated rooms can be visited today. A tourist who visited the underground city writes in his review on Tripadvisor: “The fact that Derinkuyu even exists is amazing. I highly recommend it. Just watch your head, as many of the passages are so narrow that you have to stoop halfway to get through. Not for the claustrophobic or faint-hearted.”
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The idea that thousands of people once lived and worked here still fascinates people from all over the world, and rightly so. Anyone who can handle tight spaces and is a bit adventurous should not miss a visit to Derinkuyu.
Visiting Derinkuyu
Derinkuyu can be visited for an entrance fee equivalent to 13 euros. Buses run to the underground city from Göreme and Nevşehir.