The underground city in Turkey that they discovered by breaking a wall - Science - Life

The human being has been able to discover the most unexpected. Century after century, year after year, man has made unimaginable discoveries regarding his history. There is much that we do not know about our past, so much so that there are probably hundreds of places that were part of everyday life and are now forgotten, hidden by water, land and nature.

That is the case of an underground city that was accidentally found in Turkey several years ago.. A feat of architecture that is now within the reach of new generations who want to meet the past.

History

In 2013, the government signed a decree to demolish 1,500 buildings in the Cappadocia area of Turkey as part of an urban renewal project. while the workers were removing lumps of earth and walls of the previous houses, they found a network, which showed entrances to rooms and tunnels. Of course, the housing project was stopped and archaeologists and geophysicists were called in to begin the investigation.

The news of what had been seen was reported to Mayor Hasan Unver, who was very anxious to learn that what had been discovered was an underground city. As they excavated, they found more elements such as an underground ecosystem, which could have kept thousands of people alive; air holes and water channels were found.

(Don’t stop reading: The mystery of the ghost ship found adrift and without its crew).

Different hypotheses began to circulate among the researchers. One of the most striking was that This city was a kind of underground hiding place, where the inhabitants protected themselves between the 1st and 4th centuries when armies or invaders approached during wars.

This place, considered the largest in Cappadocia according to ‘National Geographic’, could have housed at least 20,000 inhabitants.

In 2014, those tunnels were key to helping scientists discover a colonization with living spaces, kitchens, cellars, chapels, stairs and linseed presses to produce lamp oil, with which they managed to illuminate the city.

(Also read: Scary messages, temples and other secrets revealed by drought in the world).

“When danger lurked, the Cappadocians would retreat underground, block access tunnels with round stone gates, and lock themselves up with cattle and supplies until the threat passed,” said the head of Turkey’s Housing Development Administration. in an interview with ‘National Geographic’.

Derinkuyu is an ancient multi-level underground city in Turkey, extending to a depth of 280 feet. The city could accommodate up to 20,000 people and had amenities found such as wine and oil presses, stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, and chapels. #AncientSiteSunday pic.twitter.com/FpNA3fj08l

— Leaving Earth Podcast (@LeavingEarthPod) September 4, 2022

Derinkuyu

Its name means deep well and it is known for being the largest tourist attraction of the 37 underground cities. abandoned in the Nevşehir region.

According to geophysicists at Nevsehir University, the site is approximately five million square feet and can sink 370 feet into the ground. However, until now the specific size is not known with certainty.

“As of now, it’s not possible to tell”, added the director of the Nevsehir Museum, Murat Gulyaz in ‘National Geographic’.

Ünver, the mayor of Cappadocia, wants to build the world’s largest antiques park, complete with hotels, boutiques, above-ground art galleries and walking paths. Likewise, he affirms that “this new discovery will be added as a new pearl, a new diamond, a new gold”.

In fact, the mayor has also reported that they plan to reopen the underground churches to start bringing Derinkuyu back to life and as he explained: “All this makes us very excited”.