Derinkuyu Underground City Place guide

Derinkuyu is the deepest and most thoroughly excavated underground city complex in Cappadocia, said to have accommodated 20,000 people at its peak. The site is well lit, the original ventilation system surprisingly functional to date. However, some of the passages can feel claustrophobic due to their low and narrow build; avoid the lowest floor in particular if you have back problems. 

To date, the clearing occupies around 1,500sqm consisting of eight floors reaching up to 55m below ground. On the first two floors, you’ll see wine and oil presses, stables, and what was once perhaps a dining hall or school with two long, rock-cut tables. On the third and fourth floors, you’ll find chapels, living quarters, armories, and tunnels. 

On the lower levels, you’ll find a crucifix-shaped church, a grave and dungeon. Other cellars, storage rooms, refectories, and more are contained in the site, now generally uninhabited (although open to tourists keen on learning about history).

The city’s name means “deep well,” after 52 large ventilation shafts and deep wells dropping up to 85m far below the level of the lowest floor. Escape routes connect different floors to each other, while passages lead beyond to the city. 

Don’t miss the circular doors used to seal one level from the other, making each floor virtually impregnable from the outside!

How to get there: Drive approximately 10km south of Kaymakli; it is also possible to use public transport to get to Derinkuyu. From the Goreme bus station, get on a mini-bus and head toward Nevşehir. Tell the driver you are heading to Derinkuyu and get off at Nevşehir. Once in Nevşehir, wait for another bus to Derinkuyu and get off at the last stop, which is already the entrance of Derinkuyu.