Insider:
Stretching 280 feet below the Earth's surface in Cappadocia, Turkey, is a web of tunnels and cave-like dwellings that once housed 20,000 people.
The ancient city, Derinkuyu, lay abandoned for decades until, in the 1960s, a local man noticed his chickens were disappearing through a gap in his basement that had opened up during renovations, the BBC reported. After knocking down a wall, he found a tunnel — and accidentally rediscovered the sprawling, subterranean city.
Now part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, Derinkuyu is open to visitors, although they can only explore eight of its 18 levels. Here's a closer look at the remarkable city and its history.
Derinkuyu is an 18-level underground city in the Cappadocia region of Turkey. At its deepest point, it reaches 280 feet below the Earth's surface.
Cappadocia is particularly suited to underground dwellings — its landscape is made of a volcanic-ash rock called tuff, which is pliable and dry, making it easy to carve with simple tools.
In 1963, a local man was remodeling his home and noticed his chickens were disappearing through a gap that had opened up. After he pulled back a wall, he found a tunnel that led to Derinkuyu.
More than 600 entrances to the ancient city have since been found within people's homes, the BBC reported.
According to Turkey's Department of Culture, it was built by the Phrygians in the 8th to 7th centuries BC. It was first referenced in a written text in 370 BC.
It was used for thousands of years — at first for storage, and then as a place for people to hide from invasions and conflict.
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There are several pictures of the underground city at the link above. The city predates the Muslim conquest of Turkey.
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