There are 150-200 underground cities of various sizes in Cappadocia. Six of them are open to the public. The most popular underground cities are Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı since they are the largest and are not far from Göreme and other popular sites. You can easily visit both on the same day. If your group tour includes a tour of an underground city, it will probably be Derinkuyu because it is the closest and is relatively easy to explore. If your guided tour includes an underground city, it will probably be Derinkuyu.
The underground cities of Cappadocia. Click for the larger Google Custom Map.
No one knows who first built the underground cities. It is generally believed to be the Phrygians, an indo-European people who settled in Cappadocia in the 7th or 6th centuries BC. Xenophon, in 402 BC, wrote about the Cappadocians living underground in interconnected houses with stables. Ancient Greek carvings found in Cappadocia show that the underground cities existed when Cappadocia became a kingdom in 322 BC.
During the early Christian period, Christians expanded these cities and added churches and chapels. By the seventh century, they reached the form we see them in today.
Until Christian times, the underground cities of Cappadocia were probably not meant as long-term residences to escape danger. They were, however, used to escape the Arab raids of the 600s and 700s AD. They were not used to escape Roman persecution of Christians because, by that time, Rome had accepted Christianity as its state religion.
Construction and Architecture
The underground cities of Cappadocia were built to accommodate thousands of people and their livestock for months. The top floor was normally used as a stable. Floors below typically contained kitchens, wine and olive oil presses, schools and study halls, dining rooms, churches, and chapels. These spaces were organized around air shafts to provide ventilation, draw water from wells below, and communicate.
Security and defense
Cappadocia’s underground cities were also designed with defense in mind. Entrances were camouflaged or otherwise hidden. Enormous, heavy, disk-shaped blocking stones at the main entrances and entrances to various chambers could be rolled into place to seal off tunnels and individual floors quickly. Narrow passageways, sometimes leading to a trap, had holes above through which defenders could stab attackers with spears or pour boiling oil on them.
Note: While confirmed to be safe, the underground cities have steep stairways and uneven floors. Derinkuyu is the easiest to visit, while Kaymaklı, for example, requires visitors to crawl or duckwalk through a long tunnel with a rough floor. Disabled visitors cannot easily access the underground cities.
Allow one to two hours to visit each city.
Visiting Hours
The underground cities have the same visiting hours. They are.
Summer (April 1 to October 31): 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Winter (November 1 to March 31): 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Note: the ticket offices close 45 minutes before the underground cities.
Derinkuyu Underground City
Derenkuyu, the largest underground city in Cappadocia, is in the town of Derenkuyu, in Nevşehir Province. It is 29 kilometers (18 miles) south of Nevşehir on Highway D765. It has eight levels going some 85 meters (279 feet) down. The top four levels are open to the public. Derinkuyu could host up to 20,000 people with their livestock, and is connected by tunnels to Kaymaklı Underground City (the tunnels are not open to the public).
Address: Bayramlı, Niğde Cd., 50700 Derinkuyu/Nevşehir
Telephone: +90 384 381 31 94
Google Coordinates: 38.373593573282804, 34.73603527636648
Kaymaklı Underground City
Kaymaklı Underground City is in the town of Kaymaklı in Nevşehir Province. It is 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) south of Nevşehir on Highway D765. Kaymaklı has eight floors, with the top four open to the public. Horizontally, Kaymaklı is the broadest underground city in Kaymaklı. Kaymaklı is more difficult to manage than Derinkuyu, since it has more narrow and steep passageways. One will require you to duckwalk or crawl through it for around 15 meters (50 feet).
Address: Cami Kebir Mahallesi Yeraltı Şehri Belediye Caddesi, Hatipoğlu, 50760 Kaymaklı, Nevşehir Merkez, Nevşehir
Telephone: +90 384 218 25 00
Google Coordinates: 38.46009592267479, 34.751884182136045
Özkonak Underground City
Özkonak Underground City is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) north of Avanos. It is smaller and less visited than Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı. It consists of eleven floors, dug into the side of Mount İdiş, and then below ground level. Four floors are open to the public.
The first floor of Özkonak Underground City is a stable. In the back of this room is a passage with a round blocking stone leading to the other chambers.
Address: Özkonak Yeraltı Şehri Yolu, 50500 Avanos, Nevşehir
Telephone: 0384 218 2500
Google Coordinates: 38.8067908836668, 34.840130609970906
Mazı Underground City
Mazı Underground City is in Mazı Village, in the Ürgüp district of Nevşehir. It is 18 kilometers (11.2 miles) south of Urgup and 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) east of Kaymaklı Underground City.
Mazı Underground City could accommodate up to 6,000 people for a month. It is vast, with four entrances and numerous tunnels, rivaling Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı in size.
Address: Temenni Mahallesi, Kazım Karabekir Cd. No:10, 50400 Mazı, Ürgüp, Nevşehir
Telephone: 0384 365 5339
Google Coordinates: 38.47011777098341, 34.838816267626484
Tatların Underground City
Tatların Underground City is in the Acıgöl District of Nevşehir. It is built into the side of Tatların Hill, with floors descending into the ground below. Two floors are open to the public.
The original main entrance of Tatların Underground City is collapsed. Entry is now made through a 15-meter (50-foot) tunnel which leads to a large room with a rolling stone disk used to seal off the entrance. Tatların Underground city has spacious rooms and multiple churches, suggesting that it may have been a military garrison or a monastery complex.
The two churches inside are painted with colorful frescoes dating to the 13th century. They depict biblical scenes and characters and monks, as well as Constantine the Great and his mother Helena, posing with the “true cross” she is said to have found while in Jerusalem.
There are two to three meter (6.5 to 9.8 foot) deep traps in the floors of the corridors, and what appears to be an ancient form of toilets in a lavatory.
Address: Kale Mahallesi, Tatların Kasabası, Acıgöl, Nevşehir
Telephone: 0384 324 6524
Google Coordinates: 38.63446742490477, 34.48123665737641
Ken Grubb
I’m a retired US military investigator and crime scene specialist who has lived in Türkiye for over twenty years. I love learning about and investigating Türkiye’s ancient Christian sites. My archaeologist friends tell me that my old job is much like theirs!
