Kaymaklı Underground City presents mystic journey
NEVŞEHİR
Tourists visiting the Cappadocia region have a different experience in the Kaymaklı Underground City, which is 20 kilometers from the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir, and go on a journey through time in tunnels of thousands of years.
Cappadocia is known for its historical, cultural and natural riches, and it is a place where local and foreign guests can watch the fairy chimneys on hot air balloons from a bird’s eye view. They also show interest in the underground settlements.
Among the nine underground cities that are open to tourists in the region, Kaymaklı attracts the most attention. It hosted 266,000 people in the first 10 months of the year.
When visiting the Kaymaklı Underground City, tourists pass through tunnels made by carving tuff rocks during the Hittite period.
The food tanks, water cellars and rooms that are reached by going down the tunnels, which are lower than human height, fascinate the visitors.
Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, tourist guide Levent Yüce said five floors of the settlement area, which consists of nine floors of different sizes towards the underground, are open to visitors.
Noting that life continues above the ground in Kaymaklı town, Yüce emphasized that the existence of a man-made settlement, which is connected to each other by tunnels thousands of years is attractive for the guests.
He said that mostly Russian and Ukrainian tourists come to the area in the autumn period.
“During the Hittite era, the underground city was used as a shelter during the times of war. The other sections were later built by the early Christians to hide. There were two different worlds at that time. In peacetime they lived in their houses on the ground, but during wartime they took shelter in underground cities. After the Roman period, the underground cities were used as food storages by the local people due to their stable temperature,” Yüce added.
“It was opened to visitors in 1964 after the cleaning works carried out in 1961. Here, there are storage areas, water wells and ventilation areas. There was a common living space inside. If the whole area is open to visitors, it would take half a day to visit. This is a different world built underground, attracting the attention of visitors as it has a separate structure from the ruins. Especially on weekends, 4,000-5,000 people come daily,” he said.
