Underground city comes to surface in Cappadocia

The details of an underground city unearthed in late 2014 in Turkey’s touristic town of Cappadocia in the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir have come to the surface, as excavations at the site continue.

The underground city was discovered in 2014 by a Turkish Housing 
Development Administration (TOKİ) project [Credit: AA]

The underground city was discovered by a Turkish Housing Development Administration (TOKİ) urban transformation project. Some 1,500 buildings located in and around the Nevşehir fortress were demolished, and the underground city was discovered when the earthmoving to construct new buildings began.

The newly found town has been declared a third degree archaeological site in which there are 7-kilometer-long tunnels. The Nevşehir Municipality has initiated work to turn the historic town into a gain for the city.

M. Ergün Turan of the Housing Development Administration (TOKİ) said they have found historical texts while conducting urban transformation projects, and added that the historical site revealed documents that lead to the revision of the existing knowledge of history in the city.

A historical underground Orthodox church has also been found in Nevşehir. Turan said the church is very significant for the history of the Orthodox faith, as it is one of the largest underground churches found in the Cappadocia region.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [February 16, 2016]