The underground city can hold 20,000 people.

Turkey Located more than 85 meters below ground and comprising 18 floors, Derinkuyu is the world's largest underground city ever discovered.

Tunnel leading to the underground city of Derinkuyu. Photo: Travel Turkey

Beneath the cobblestone streets of Derinkuyu lies a network of ancient tunnels and chambers that could have sheltered 20,000 people, according to IFL Science . The labyrinthine complex beneath Derinkuyu is one of a series of underground cities around the central Turkish province of Nevşehir, which are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A similar complex has been discovered in nearby Cappadocia, 30 kilometers to the north.

The underground city of Derinkuyu was rediscovered in 1963 when a local man kept losing his chickens. After noticing the chickens had fallen through a crack in his house during renovations, the owner found a dark passageway leading to the complex. Hundreds of houses in the area have hidden passageways leading to the underground metropolis.

Interspersed among the nooks and crannies of the complex are rooms that served as meeting places, stables, kitchens, storage rooms, and small prisons. The structure even had an efficient ventilation system that allowed fresh air to circulate deep within the labyrinthine structure.

Throughout its long history, the underground city of Derinkuyu served primarily as a refuge during war or times of hardship. The city’s age is disputed among scholars, but some estimates place it as far back as 2,800 years ago. It is likely that the underground tunnels were used by people in the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. The underground city was later used as a refuge by Arabs during the Arab-Byzantine Wars between 780 and 1180 AD.

An Khang (According to IFL Science )

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