Page 128 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2023 DISCOVERING TURKEY
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THE UNDERGROUND CITIES OF CAPPADOCIA
Subterranean cities in Cappadocia are as fa- local remodeling his home found a passage
mous as the fairy chimneys above them. They leading to Derinkuyu, built during the Arab-
were likely built during the Byzantine wars between 780
eighth and seventh centuries and 1180. This vast 18-story city
by Phrygians, Indo-Euro- once housed 20,000 citizens.
peans living in central Tur- We visited the smaller Kay-
key. Although the cities of makli Underground City. The
Derinkuyu and Kaymakli are UNESCO World Heritage Site is
well known, there are around challenging to explore, with
200 known underground steeper tunnels and narrower
cities in the region. passageways than the larger De-
All were carved to protect rinkuyu. It sheltered up to
inhabitants from their ene- 3,500 local inhabitants for sev-
mies. When threatened, folks eral centuries throughout the
disappeared underground Arab-Byzantine wars.
until the coast was clear. In Kaymakli has eight levels, al-
the 14th century, Christians though only the first four are
took advantage of these open for touring. There are no
bunkers to hide from the elevators, and few proper walk-
Mongolians. ways. Its builders deliberately
Abandoned and almost forgotten, these carved narrow doorways and tunnels to make
refuges weren’t rediscovered until 1923. Then a passage difficult for their enemies. For the peo-
