Explore the Underground City of Derinkuyu
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The abandoned city of Derinkuyu consisted of a bunch of cave rooms, a few churches and some narrow tunnels and staircases. First built by the Phrygians in the 8th– 7th centuries B.C., the cave cities were used by early Christians to escape Roman persecution. Derinkuyu is the largest city found so far consisting of 7 excavated floors and 11 floors in total.
The horse stables were located on the top floor so they would not stink up the entire city and on the lower floors; a number of small churches were carved into the stone and painted with beautiful reliefs. In its prime, this city could accommodate thousands of people along with their livestock and food stores. They even had fire pits for cooking but the fires were kept small so the enemy could not see the smoke. Huge ventilation shafts were bore into the stone to re-circulate the air and a small cave was built to store dead bodies until they could be brought to the surface and given a proper burial. The staircases were short and narrow and got shorter and narrower the deeper down we went making me think that underground cities were definitely not for claustrophobic people like me. |
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For tips on visiting Turkey CLICK HERE
For tips on visiting the Middle East CLICK HERE For general travel tips on what to pack and how to plan ahead CLICK HERE For tips on travelling on a budget CLICK HERE |
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Where I Stayed...
Pashahan Hotel Roma Kalesi Arkasi No7-50180 Goreme/Nevsehir/Turkey Tel: 90 384 271 2283 Website: www.pashahan.com Email:[email protected] |
How to Get There - Derinkuyu is located in the Cappadicoa region of Turkey.
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