Location: 30 km (18.6 mi) South of Nevşehir, Nevşehir Province Map
Open: May- Oct: 9am- 7pm daily
Nov- Apr: 9am- 5pm daily
Derinkuyu (Greek: Μαλακοπή) is a town and district in Nevşehir
Province in central Anatolia, Turkey. In the 2000 census, the
population of the district was 24,631, of which 11,092 were in the
town of Derinkuyu. The district has an area of 445 km², and the
average elevation is 1,300 m, with 1,988 m Mount Ertaş as the
highest point.
Located in the Cappadocia region, Derinkuyu is
known for being the largest tourist attraction of the 37 abandoned
underground cities in this region.
Derinkuyu is located 29 km
south of Nevşehir, and its name means 'deep well'. Formerly called
Melengübü, the site is believed to have been occupied since the 7th
century, although some archaeologists speculate that it is older
than Kaymaklı, another famous underground city in the area; since
the first level may have been excavated by the Hittites around 1400
BC.
The underground city of Derinkuyu and its neighbor
Kaymaklı are part of the Göreme National Park and rock sites of
Cappadocia chosen by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1985.Notice the picture on the bottom left. The round stone on
left served as a door in emergency. It could be rolled to block the
narrow passage. It is close to impossible to open the door from outside.
The hole in the middle could be used by the defenders to keep an eye on
the possible invaders. There are several doors that guard the entrance
to each floor separately.
The Greek soldier and historian Xenophon mentions the underground
cities of Cappadocia in the Anabasis. In that account of the
expedition of ten thousand mercenaries in the Persian Empire, in 399
BC he explains that the inhabitants of Anatolia had dug their houses
underground and lived in accommodations large enough to house a
family, their domestic animals, and the food supplies they stored.
The ease of excavating the volcanic soil in the area led the
inhabitants of Derinkuyu to create a city with several underground
levels, which was used as a refuge from the frequent invasions of
Cappadocia, in the various periods of its occupation.
Modern
archaeological excavations began in 1963, and have reached forty
meters deep, revealing the existence of between 18 to 20 underground
levels, although it is only possible to visit the eight upper
levels. The rest is partially obstructed, or reserved for
archaeological and anthropological research. It was opened to
visitors in 1969 and to date only ten percent of the underground
city is accessible to tourists.
Inside the city, you can see
stables, dining rooms, rooms for worship, kitchens (still blackened
by soot from homes), wine presses, cellars, water cisterns and
living areas. The city has water wells and communication galleries.
In total, 52 ventilation shafts have been detected. It is
estimated that these facilities were sufficient to shelter ten
thousand people. The labyrinth of corridors also has three
strategically selected points, whose access could be blocked by
moving the adjacent rocks; thus preventing the entry of intruders.
In addition, the city has a tunnel almost 8 km long, which is
believed to have connected it with the neighboring underground city
of Kaymaklı.
Niğde in the south of Derinkuyu district, located in the south of
Nevşehir province; Kayseri, Yeşilhisar in the east; Ürgüp in the
northeast; Acıgöl in the northwest; Nevşehir in the north; Aksaray
province is located in the west.
Located on the Niğde-Nevşehir
highway, the district is 30 km from Nevşehir, 50 km from Niğde, 110 km
from Kayseri and 80 km from Aksaray, and the district has a direct
highway connection to all of these provinces.
The district's
surface area is 445 km² and its altitude is 1,300 meters.
District; It is located in the Misli Plain, which is in the form of a
volcanic bowl between Erciyes, Hasan Mountain and Melendiz Mountains.
The soil is sandy and the effects of erosion due to the end of volcanic
activities and rain and wind are quite strong. The land is generally
flat and there are no forest areas.
There are extensive
underground water resources in the district, which has no streams or
lakes.
The vegetation is a steppe consisting of thin grasses that
bloom with spring rains and dry out in mid-summer.
Hakkı Atamulu
Culture Park, one of Turkey's most interesting groves and artistic
parks, is also located here. There is a huge Ataturk statue. Tourism is
developing, agriculture and animal husbandry are the most important
sources of income.