Accidentally discovered during the construction of a housing project, an extensive network of tunnels in the area of Cappadocia, Turkey, known for its underground cities, is being explored and its size is estimated to surmount that of Derinkuyu, having a hosting capacity of 20,000 people.
The labyrinth network was accidentally discovered in 2013 by construction workers while demolishing low-income homes neighboring the hilltop castle, dating back in the Byzantine years, in the central Anatolian province of Nevşehir. Upon discovery of the first rooms and tunnels the city stopped the housing project and started investigating the site with the help of archaeologists, and geophysicists.
Based on initial studies, experts estimate that this may be the largest and most complex underground city worldwide, exceeding the underground city of Derinkuyuy, also located in Cappadocia, that was able to accommodate nearly 20,000 people and was equipped with air shafts and water channels. Namely, geophysicists from Nevşehir University performed a systematic exploration of a 1.5 mile area using geophysical resistivity and seismic tomography. Based on 33 independent measurements their estimate of the site's size reached up to five million square feet (460,000 square meters), with the underground corridors extending down to a depth of 371feet (113 meters). The underground network forms a combination of multilevel living space, kitchens, chapels, staircases and bezirhane—linseed presses for producing lamp oil to light the underground city. Several stone crosses, ceramics and other artifacts retrieved from archaeologists indicate that the city was in use from the Byzantine area till the Ottoman conquest. According to Nevşehir Museum director and chief of the investigation, Murat Gülyaz the exact size of the city is not yet known and research teams will continue to explore it, also encountering high collapse risks of the soft tuff.
Similar to the case of Derinkuyu, underground cities were used as retreat locations by Cappadocians, who after blocking access tunnels were sealing themselves in them, with livestock and supplies until external threats passed.
Sources: National Geographic, Telegraph
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