Derinkuyu, the underground city carved into Cappadocia's volcanic rock

Derinkuyu is the famous one: a warren cut by hand into soft volcanic tuff beneath Cappadocia, reaching about 85 metres down, with stables, kitchens, rock-cut churches and escape tunnels sealed behind huge stone doors. The usual tale is that a man knocked through a wall in 1963 and found it. Archaeologist Davide Tanasi of the University of South Florida adds a twist: the upper levels were never lost, as townspeople had long used them as cellars, and the system was described in print by 1916.

Tanasi is good at puncturing the myths. The Hittite or Phrygian origins are unproven, and the oft-quoted population of 20,000 has no visible maths behind it; one estimate based on room counts suggests nearer 2,000. Christian communities expanded it during Arab raids, and it was used on and off until 1923. Fifty-two air shafts kept it breathable and doubled as wells, some hidden so besiegers couldn't poison the water. He even calls "city" a tourism word.

Eight of its eighteen floors are open, about half an hour south of Nevşehir, and nearby Kaymakli is another well-known complex. Allow one and a half to two hours, and note Tanasi's warning: cool year-round, steep and tight in places, so not one for the claustrophobic.

Our summary of a story from Architectural Digest, published 12 October 2026. Read the original