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 From
the 7th through the 10th centuries, the Christian Cappadocians were under siege
from Arab raiders. They took refuge in about 40 underground cities. These were
cities in the truest sense, some stretching as deep as 20 stories below the
surface and able to accommodate as many as 20.000 people. Each had dormitories,
dining halls, swage disposal systems, vinery and air ventilation chimneys as
well as cemetery. Large millstones sealed off the entrances from enemies. Who
actually build these cities is a mystery. Some exhibit traces of Hittite
settlements. The Greek historian Xenophon mentions Cappadocian underground
dwellings as early as 401 BC. The Christians probably expended what they found;
certainly the cities took centuries to complete.
Underground City Of Derinkuyu
This underground city was out of rock below the district of Derinkuyu.
The entrance to the city is not far from the present town of Derinkuyu. A steep,
narrow passage with cutout steps leads down to successive floors beneath the
ground. Some sections of this long tunnel are so narrow that a person can pass
through only with great difficulty. Small chambers branch off the main tunnel on
both sides. Millstone shaped doors, which rolled into place in time of danger
lie at the entrance to these chambers. A large chapel is found on the lowest
level. This is cruciform in plan with a narthex before the nave. In an adjacent
chamber are an airshaft and a well filled with water.
This whole underground complex seems to have been made as a bolthole and for
defence purposes.
Underground City Of Kaymakli
This curious underground city is to be found in the town of Kaymakli, 20 km.
From Nevsehir. The city was carved out of the rock below the town and around it
in the rock outcrops. The plan is quite different from that of Derinkuyu. It is
a warren of different levels and clusters of number of chambers, stores and a
number of chapels and shrines. The cambers are generally clustered around a hall.
Some chambers containing funerary daises and niches.
There are 8 levels in all, cut in tothe rock where suitable. Care was taken to
ensure that when cutting through the layers each floor would maintain structural
stability, with ceilings and floors being carved out deftly.
Each section or cluster is centred an airshaft. Tunnels linking the various
clusters and levels could be cut off with huge millstone bolt doors seen from
time to time.
The chambers are approximately 2 metres in height. The chapels and shrines on
some amphora shaped dug out holes placed along the walls of some rooms, these
holes being daubed on the inside to seal them. They were probably used for grain
storage. This underground city an important dwelling system probably created in
the 6th to 10th centuries to protect the city from possible attack. |
