Man Renovating His House Discovered a Tunnel Leading to an Underground City

In 1963, a man in the Nevşehir Province of Turkey was renovating his home. After he knocked down a wall, he discovered a mysterious room behind it that led to some more cave-like rooms in a web of elaborately intricate tunnel systems.

Take a look.

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Sunny Skyz

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photo: thingshappendownhere │ via Sometimes Interesting

What he just discovered was the ancient underground city of Derinkuyu, which is part of the Cappadocia region in central Anatolia in Turkey.

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Sunny Skyz

Here’s the map of Derinkuyu Underground City.

derinkuyu map

photo: thingshappendownhere │ via Sometimes Interesting

Cappadocia, Turkey

Cappadocia Turkey

photo: thingshappendownhere │ via Sometimes Interesting

Derinkuyu was one of the dozens of underground cities carved from the rock in Cappadocia thousands of years ago.

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photo: thingshappendownhere │ via Sometimes Interesting

With eight floors reaching depths of 280 feet and (estimated) 18 subterranean levels, Derinkuyu is the deepest underground city.

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via Sunny Skyz

The city’s elaborate subterranean network included secret entrances, ventilation shafts, wells, and connecting passageways.

underground city at Derinkuyu 7

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The underground tunneling most likely served as a giant bunker that protected its inhabitants from war and or natural disaster.

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The wells in the city had access to fresh flowing water and were not connected to the surface to prevent poisoning from crafty land dwellers.

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photo: thingshappendownhere │ via Sometimes Interesting

The cave-like rooms served various purposes and were used as shops, individual rooms, communal rooms, arsenals, livestock, escape routes, and even tombs.

derinkuyu - underground city 2

photo: thingshappendownhere │ via Sometimes Interesting

It really was a living, striving community since Derinkuyu also had a church and a school complete with a study room.

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photo: thingshappendownhere │ via Sometimes Interesting

The city’s tunnels reach hundreds of caves, making it large enough to shelter tens of thousands of people.

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photo: thingshappendownhere │ via Sometimes Interesting

Many theories surround the discovery of Derinkuyu, all speculating which ancient race built it. One theory is that the Hittites of Cappadocia carved out the rooms from the rock sometime between the 15th century and 12th century BCE.

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photo: thingshappendownhere │ via Sometimes Interesting

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photo: thingshappendownhere │ via Sometimes Interesting

Another suggests that the Phrygians first built the tunnels between the 8th and 7th centuries BCE. A theory reinforced by archaeologists who consider Phrygian architects to be among the finest of the Iron Age and are known to have built complex construction projects. Add in the fact that they inhabited the region for a long time, the Phrygians are often credited with first creating the Derinkuyu underground city.

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photo: thingshappendownhere │ via Sometimes Interesting

underground city at Derinkuyu 3

via Sunny Skyz

Since the city was laboriously carved from naturally-formed rock, traditional archeological methods of dating Derinkuyu would fail to accurately discern its origins.

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photo: thingshappendownhere │ via Sometimes Interesting

It’s a completely fascinating discovery! All thanks to the man who only wanted to renovate his house.