When this guy started to renovate his house, he started with a wall in the basement. He was hoping to complete the job quickly to move onto other areas of the house but things just got plain weird.
This guy in the Nevshir Province of Turkey looked at the wall he just smashed. Instead of seeing something he expected, he found himself looking into a tunnel.
What he had found was the hidden ancient city of Derinkuyu, an underground labyrinth. Unknown to him at the time, he had broken into one of the tunnel entrances.
Derinkuyu was a complete city carved into the stone, going as far as 60 meters deep. It had 18 levels, including “houses”, churches, food storage rooms, schools and even wineries! It was designed to hold 20,000 people as well as livestock.
The winery in Derinkuyu. The city was designed to support people for many years in times of war or natural disaster.
This room with its vaulted ceilings was used as a school. Derinkuyu was used by Christian populations from the early Middle Ages up until the early 20th century.
An illustration of an underground city like Derinkuyu. The church was located at the bottom level because during times of Christian persecution, religious items would be placed as far away from the surface for protection.
This massive circular stone is actually a door. It blocks off the entrance – the only way to open it is to fit a beam in the hole so the door could roll open.
How eerie is it to renovate your home and find this gigantic underground city right below? I would be patching up that broken wall ASAP to make sure nothing gets in or out of my house!
Since the city has been discovered, the government has secured the location and about half of Derinkuyu is open to visitors. We don’t know what’s hidden in the other half of the city… yet.
Share this amazing discovery with your friends and family.
