Capadoccia

Kaymakali - the fascinating underground city in Capadoccia 

Underground caves of Capadoccia

Around 3 to 9 million years ago, volcanic eruptions from Anatolia region's three major volcanoes, Mount Erciyes, Mount Hasan, and Mount Göllü, blanketed Cappadocia in thick layers of volcanic ash. Over time, this ash consolidated into a soft rock called tuff rock (talk about an oxymoron), while harder materials like basalt and andesite settled in other areas. 

Wind, water, and temperature fluctuations gradually eroded the softer tuff layers, creating the iconic fairy chimneys, valleys, and jagged cliffs seen today.

Cyanobacteria are a phylum of bacteria called prokaryotes, meaning they lack a nucleus, that can appear green, red, brown, or even black, depending on the pigments they contain (e.g., chlorophyll, and phycobilins). These unicellular life forms often form colonies or filaments, creating various shapes such as mats, chains, or spherical clusters - that provide a form of protection against erosion from the elements.

Tuff is relatively easy to carve with iron tools, making it ideal for creating caves, homes, and as we now know entire underground cities. 
Despite being soft, tuff can harden over time when exposed to air, which helps preserve the structures carved into it.

Furthermore, 
tuff rock provides excellent natural insulation, staying cool in the summer and warm in the winter, which is why ancient inhabitants used it for storage, dwellings and a safe haven. Today, local people in Cappadocia use the caves as cellars, storage rooms, and stables.

In Cappadocia, 36 underground cities are carved deep into the soft tuff rock. There are estimated to be more than 200 underground cities across Central Anatolia.

Derinkuyu was once home to 20,000 people and stretches 280 feet below the Earth’s surface. The two cities were once connected via miles of tunnels. Derinkuyu is slightly newer than Kaymakli, having been built during the Byzantine era as a way to hide from Muslim Arabs during the Arab-Byzantine war of 780-1180 AD. 

The Kaymakli Underground City, formerly known as Enegup, is considered by many to be a better choice as it has more features like a chapel and is one of the most well-preserved underground cities in Cappadocia with a well-illuminated round-about passage (it is really narrow at points so one has to crouch down on ones haunches - not ideal if you are very tall or claustrophobic but one consolation is no traffic bottleneck as you don’t need to backtrack, making it easier to move around. 

Kaymakli consists of eight levels, of which four are open to the public, offering a glimpse into the daily lives of its ancient inhabitants. Visitors can explore several chambers, tunnels, storage areas, kitchens, churches, and ventilation shafts.

It was believed to have been constructed by the Hittites (circa 2000-1200 BC) and Phrygians (Greeks, circa 800-700 BC) and was expanded and used by various civilizations over the centuries, including early Christians who sought refuge here during times of persecution by the Sarcens, Seljuks, Mongols and Ottoman Turks.

The Kaymakli City is a narrow, underground maze of nearly 100 narrow tunnels or passageways and ancient homes and settlements that once housed over 3,500 people. It is estimated to go as far down as 20 meters (66ft) underground, with the wealthiest families living on the first floor and the lower class living on the lower levels. 

The second floor contains a church with one nave and two apses, as well as a graveyard and baptismal space.

The third level was primarily used for wine production, storage and as a kitchen. Today you can still see an andesite block used to hammer melted copper on to turn them into tools.

Grape crushing in the backroom with collection of the 'must' used to make wine in the trough in front

The fourth level contains storage rooms, where the residents would bury earthenware jars filled with wine. The volcanic rock constantly absorbs the humidity and the heat which creates a stable temperature. There is not a dramatic change in the temperatures despite the weather conditions outside. As a result, underground caves are very convenient for winemaking and wine cellar uses

Millstone doors hewn from tuff rock make the tunnels impregnable from the outside

Over time, these underground cities evolved beyond just shelters into full-fledged cities with wineries and wine cellars, kitchens, churches, stables, stables, bakeries, and more.  At Kaymakali, they improvised rolling millstone doors that could only be opened from the inside.

Ventilation shaft for fresh air, easy access to haul up dirt and reach drinking water at the bottom

Ventilation shafts were also created to allow plenty of oxygen to reach the lower levels. They used large round boulders as doors, in case the city came under attack.

In 1923 in the early 20th century, the cities were abandoned after a population exchange happened between Turkey and Greece. In 1963, they were rediscovered and opened to the public as a tourist attraction. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.