18-story underground city hidden in residential basements

A Turkish man unexpectedly discovered an entire 18-story city hidden in his basement while breaking down a wall to renovate his house.

The underground city of Derinkuyu has 18 floors. Photo: Ancient Codes.

Derinkuyu, one of the world's largest underground cities in Cappadocia, Türkiye, with a capacity of 20,000 people, has been hidden underground for thousands of years without being known, according to Mirror.

In 1963, a Cappadocian resident discovered an astonishing structure while renovating his house. After breaking down the basement wall under his house, he discovered a secret room. Entering the room, he realized that it was the entrance to an ancient, maze-like city hidden deep underground. The city was later named Derinkuyu.

The city consists of 18 floors completely submerged 85 meters underground. Inside the city there is enough space for 20,000 people to live, along with a place to keep livestock, space for farming and raising animals.

Many experts believe that Derinkuyu could have been built between 780 and 1180 BC. The underground city of Derinkuyu had kitchens, stables, churches, tombs, wells, common rooms, schools, and even a huge shelter to prevent natural disasters.

In the ancient city, scientists also discovered churches and writings from the Greek period. About 600 doors were built to connect the areas. Each floor had its own shortcut to escape in case of danger. In addition, Derinkuyu also had very heavy stone doors with wheels that closed inside to prevent Arab and Roman troops from entering.

According to VNE