Just like a talented sculptor, Nature was creating its masterpieces on Capadoccia’s land, so were ancient people descending further under the ground of the beautiful valley, creating whole underground cities. No one really knows how long ago they were built and who built them: out of 200 underground settlements researchers have managed to discover only 30.

The underground cities of Cappadocia consist of multi-level housings, some of them have as many as 20 floors. Today it’s impossible to tour all the floors, only 8 of them are open to the public. Unfortunately, at the moment the exploration of lower levels is infeasible due to the high risk of collapse, but archaeologists and engineers are not ready to give up and, hopefully, the world will get to see new underground cities of the oldest civilisations on the planet in the near future.

Two underground cities deserve special attention, the first being the largest one, Derinkuyu, which could fit up to 30 thousand people, the second one is smaller but no less impressive due to its structure, Kaymakli. Both of them are open to the public.

The huge underground city of Derinkuyu was discovered by accident during construction work. Imagine how surprised the builders were when they saw the whole city, hidden in the bowels of the Earth. The city had a well-designed system of ventilation and heating with the help of oil lamps, water wells and primitive toilets with drains, workshops, storage spaces and even animal sheds. There were also places of worship for pagan rituals.

Moreover, the city could keep unwanted guests away by locking massive stone doors shaped like a large wheel. It was only possible to open such a construction from the inside which made underground cities completely impregnable. However, the cities were connected with 9 kilometres worth of labyrinths. Only time will tell what other secrets Derinkuyu holds, but for now, tourists can only visit 8 floors which are about 15% of the total area of the city.

The underground city of Kaymakli could fit up to 15 thousand residents. Tourists can visit 5 floors where they can see ancient kitchens and wine cellars, storage spaces and stables, and an underground chapel with a confessional.