Inside Derinkuyu, Türkiye’s Massive Underground City Carved Out of Volcanic Rock

In 1963 a resident of a small Turkish town knocked down a wall in his home, only to stumble upon a vast, ancient underground city: Derinkuyu. Large enough to hide thousands of people, the city was carved into soft volcanic rock (also known as tuff rock) beneath Cappadocia. The sprawling network, which could date as far back as the 8th century BCE, descends roughly 280 feet, housing everything from stables and kitchens to rock-cut churches and escape tunnels.

Built and expanded over centuries, Derinkuyu offered a haven for entire communities to vanish underground during times of war or religious persecution, sealing themselves in behind massive stone doors. Today only a fraction of the city is open to visitors, but it stands undoubtedly as one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites in the world.

Where is Derinkuyu?

Located in Cappadocia, within the Central Anatolia region of central Türkiye, the Derinkuyu underground city is about a half an hour south of Nevşehir. Descending roughly 280 feet (or 85 meters), it spans about 27,000 square feet. That said, it’s by no means the only such underground city: “It is not unique,” says Davide Tanasi, archaeologist, professor of history, and associate department chair at the University of South Florida. “Cappadocia has dozens of these, possibly close to two hundred, depending on who is counting and what they count as one.” Derinkuyu is, however, the deepest in the region that is open to visitors. Another one of the most well-known is Kaymakli, another sprawling underground complex not far from Derinkuyu.

How was Derinkuyu built?

“It was built with hand tools into volcanic ash that had hardened into a soft stone that is easy to cut,” explains Tanasi. “It holds itself up without any need for beams or props, so you can keep going without stopping to reinforce anything.” That self-supporting quality allowed builders to expand the complex over centuries, adding levels and connecting systems of shafts (along with barrel-vaulted ceilings in some of the larger communal rooms) without the structural limitations that typically slow construction down.

How deep is Derinkuyu?

Derinkuyu reaches approximately 280 feet (or 85 meters) below surface level, made livable in large part by its network of vertical air shafts. “They ran from top to bottom of the complex, fifty-two of them,” says Tanasi. With multiple functions, the shafts drew fresh air down into the multi-level complexes, and also continued below the lowest floor, reaching groundwater and serving as deep wells. “Some were deliberately left closed at the surface so that an enemy laying siege could not find them and poison the water,” Tanasi adds.

How old is Derinkuyu?

Dating Derinkuyu precisely is difficult; claims of Hittite or Phrygian origins (dating roughly to the 8th to 7th centuries BCE or earlier) are common but unproven. Regardless, it is clear that the site wasn’t built all at once, but instead grew and expanded in stages, shaped by the needs of the communities who returned to it again and again.

Who built Derinkuyu?

“The short version is that nobody can say who first cut into the rock, and the usual answer of Hittites or Phrygians rests on circumstantial evidence rather than anything datable,” says Tanasi. However, it is confirmed that local christian communities expanded and used the complex during Arab raids. “After that the network was simply reused by whoever needed it, right up to 1923,” Tanasi explains.

How many people lived in Derinkuyu?

While the oft-cited figure for Derinkuyu’s population is 20,000, Tanasi notes that there is no visible arithmetic behind that number. “The one estimate I have seen that shows its work counted the rooms, noting they average about four square meters and would suit a family of five, and arrived at roughly 2,000 people,” he continues.

Placing its population ten times smaller than the headline number, this estimate might come as a surprise. That said, Tanasi agrees that Derinkuyu was most definitely large enough to shelter thousands for a while, though not intended as a place for anyone to live year-round. “The term city for it is probably a tourism word rather than an archaeological one,” Tanasi adds.

Why was Derinkuyu abandoned?

“It was not abandoned at once,” says Tanasi. “It was used, emptied, and used again over many centuries.” The Byzantine era (particularly during the Arab raids of the Arab-Byzantine Wars) marks its most active period, with archaeological evidence like churches, crosses, pottery, and coins that confirm it. Derinkuyu’s final chapter came in 1923, when its last residents—the Cappadocian Greeks—were forced out of Türkiye as part of the compulsory population exchange between Greece and Türkiye following the Greco-Turkish war.

How was Derinkuyu discovered?

A story so remarkable it bears repeating, the Derinkuyu underground city was discovered in 1963 when a man renovating his house broke down a wall to reveal a passage behind it. A lesser-known fact of its discovery: “The upper levels were never lost,” says Tanasi. “People in the town had been using them as cellars and storerooms all along, and many still do. The system had been described in print as early as 1916.” Following its further reveal in the 1960s, the government took an interest and began to open the site to visitors.

Can you visit Derinkuyu?

With eight of the eighteen total floors open to the public, you can visit Derinkuyu. “It is cool year-round,” says Tanasi, “and genuinely tight in places, with steep one-way staircases, so it is a hard visit for anyone claustrophobic or unsteady.” The floors open for public viewing include passageways, chambers, ventilation shafts, small chapels, and communal spaces to explore. A full visit usually takes from 1.5 to 2 hours.