The incredible 'city' 280ft below the ground in beautiful country loved by Brits

By Emily Wright, World News Reporter

62 years ago, a Turkish man discovered a long-lost city inside his own home. (Image: Getty)

In 1963, a man knocked down a wall in his home in Derinkuyu, Turkey, only to find something incredible on the other side. The man found a mysterious room that led to an incredible maze of underground tunnels and rooms stretching across 18 storeys.

Originally known as Elengubu, the ancient city of Derinkuyu stretches some 280ft below the Earth's surface, making it the largest excavated underground city in the world. One of around 200 underground cities in the Cappadocia region, the settlement was built to house thousands of people at a time, including their livestock, in case of an attack. While it is not entirely known when each room was built, it is thought that work first began as far back as the 8th to 7th centuries BC.

Derinkuyu lies underneath the overground city of the same name. (Image: Getty)

The residents and builders behind Derinkuyu were able to achieve such an impressive network due to the presence of a specific kind of stone found in Turkey. Millions of years ago, ash from a volcanic eruption created pyramid-shaped "lava domes" made from a soft kind of rock, explained Abandoned Spaces.

The inner layers of the settlement are said to have included cellars, school rooms, refectories, chapels and meeting places. A complex ventilation system was discovered that enabled inhabitants to stay underground for months at a time, with clean air and water.

Livestock were kept in rooms closest to the surface to reduce the smell and allow the methane and nitrous oxide gases to escape.

As of 2016, only around 50% of the city had become accessible and much still remains to be fully excavated. (Image: Getty)

Derinkuyu became a refuge for multiple civilisations over the centuries. The rooms protected Christians from the Mongolians during the invasion of Timur in the 14th century, while some found shelter throughout the Ottoman Empire and during the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922). The caves were ultimately left empty in 1923, waiting to be discovered 40 years later.

In 1985, the city gained a UNESCO World Heritage Status. As of 2016, only around 50% of the city had become accessible and much still remains to be fully excavated. 

Today, Derinkuyu stands mostly empty, frequented only by a few tourists who are brave enough to take guided tours through the narrow tunnels, which visitors must walk through single-file and stooped over.

In 2024, more than 4.4 million Brits visited Turkey last year, an increase of 16.6% on 2023. Overall, the country welcomed 9.8% more visitors in 2024 - around 62 million - up 20.3% on 2019, according to Travel Gossip.