Derinkuyu: All About Turkey's Ancient Underground City
By: EjazUlHaqBhat
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Derinkuyu is an ancient underground city in Cappadocia, Turkey that’s one of the largest excavated underground cities in the world
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It’s a popular tourist destination. The city descends 280 feet into the earth, divided into eight levels
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Upper levels were primarily used for living and sleeping, while lower levels were used for storage, even housing a dungeon
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The underground city was used as a refuge during invasions, wars, and raids
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It has thousands of ventilation shafts and water tunnels that reach the surface
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Some experts suggest the tunnels were first constructed as far back as 2,000 B.C.E
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The inner layers of the city contained dwellings, cellars, schools and meeting spaces, according to BBC
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It was called Elengubu in ancient times, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site
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