UNESCO representative visits underground city in Nevşehir

NEVŞEHİR – Doğan News Agency

DHA Photo

A UNESCO representative has examined the central Anatolian province of Nevşehir, which is home to the world’s largest underground city. Cappadocia, the region in which the province is located, is already on the UNESCO world heritage list. 

Informed about the current restoration work in the region, the representative, Ashish Kothari, took photos of historical artifacts unearthed during the works. 

In recent years, three million tourists visited Göreme, Uçhisar, Ürgüp, Avanos, Çavuşin, Mustafapaşa and Ortahisar in the Cappadocia region. 

Kothari also went to the world’s largest underground city, which was discovered last year as the year’s biggest archaeological discovery.

The city is thought to date back 5,000 years and is located around the Nevşehir Fortress. Escape galleries and hidden churches were discovered inside the underground city.

The tunnels in the city are believed to have been used to carry agricultural products. It is also estimated that one of the tunnels passes under Nevşehir and connects a faraway water source.

Kothari said when the work is done, tourism in the Cappadocia region would increase significantly.