Kaymaklı Underground City

Troglodyte underground cave-cities existed in Anatolia as far back as the Hittite era, around 1600BC. They expanded over the centuries as invading armies crossed Central Anatolia, plundering and murdering as they went.

There are 36 underground cities in Cappadocia with hundreds of tunnels and passageways. The biggest is at Kaymaklı Underground City and the deepest at Derinkuyu.

Kaymaklı underground city is built beneath a hill, known as the Citadel of Kaymaklı and was opened to visitors in 1964. It has narrow, low and sloping passages and eight floors beneath the ground. Four have ventilation shafts and are open to the public.

Today’s residents of Kaymaklı (Enegup in Greek) still use some of the tunnels as cellars and storage space or as stables for horses.

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