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Troglodytes in Turkey
The underground world of Cappadocia
By Vladislav Mihaylov
Cappadocia, a land of bewitching rock formations and beautiful valleys in Turkey, was created after two volcanoes, Erciyes and Hasan, erupted millions of years ago. Their legacy was an area of volcanic ash concealing a unique world of subterranean cities whose inhabitants built a labyrinthine maze of dwellings and defences against the outside world. The unique rock formations, pierced by thousands of hand-dug cliff dwellings, temples and churches with their frescos and murals – as well the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli – draw millions of tourists every year.
Derinkuyu, our first destination, is almost twice the size of Kaymakli and one of the largest underground cities in Cappadocia, of which there are 125 in Turkey. The blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark was filmed here. Derinkuyu has eight levels and extends 85 metres underground. The final 30 metres underground are still closed, awaiting further excavation. Only one area of the city, the so-called yellow section covering half of Derinkiyu’s area, is passable. The first floor of the underground city was dug in the fifth century BC. The other levels were forged in the sixth century onward during the Byzantine period.
As we descended through the entrance built by the Turkish Government, we reached the second level. The first floor, perversely, is near the exit. In olden times, armies and horses would hide and rest inside the first level. When people from the Byzantine era discovered this underground city, they continued digging, aware of the great protection it provided. At the end of the sixth century, houses, all connected to the city, were built above the underground area.
If you imagined that the concept of an underground bunker was merely a Hitlerian innovation you’d be mistaken. Up to 10 000 residents hid in the depths of Cappadocia’s earth during dangerous times, creating an intricately organised system of defences. Heavy-duty stone doors were erected in order to seal passages. Supplying proper food was vital, hence dried meats and fruits were stored in four cool storage rooms near the ventilation shaft to prevent spoiling. The smoke chimneys formed an important part of the kitchens, allowing smoke up the shoots to the surface. These were masked and covered with rocks, opening only at meal times.
Residents could fire arrows at enemies through narrow slits in the doors. On another corner there was a washing section. The residents obtained fresh water from rain water above ground. Slabs with holes, in which sticks were plugged in, covered the ends of the waterways to prevent water running. However, the reservoir was insufficient to supply the whole underground city. So spring water was also received from a 58m deep well on the seventh level.
The city’s ventilation shaft keeps adjacent halls cooler than other rooms. The shaft is 55 metres deep and each floor has a connected way leading to the chimneys, keeping the air fresh. More ventilation shafts can be found elsewhere because one would be insufficient to air the entire area of such an elaborate labyrinth. Other important premises were the temple-church, meeting room, religious school, baptism pool, winery and stables.
On both sides of the “main street” you can find lined arched openings used to enter the rooms. They were deliberately narrow so as to only allow people in one by one. Some heavy stone doors at the main gates still block the main street and premises from the connecting passages. Traps were laid on the inward side of the stone doors to catch malevolent bandits, vagabonds and robbers who might have discovered the secret underground town. As soon as villains penetrated the gates, they either fell or were pushed by guards straight into a deep dark pit.
At the seventh level we entered a semi-circular “wishing channel” where, supposedly, all one’s innermost dreams come true. Then, coming to a corner side with three arched columns, we reached the final level – the eighth. Although not as large as the other floors, it’s occupied by seven bedrooms, each of which has a “caved” area for privacy under the floor. On the fifth level, there’s a living room leading to a stable. The passage then leads up to a third floor where priests taught religion. Some of the students travelled eight to 10 kilometres and so only attended religious school twice a week. Everything was done to conceal the underground population from prying eyes. At least one or two people died every day but no graves or crosses marked their resting place. They were simply taken to the surface and buried or cremated without trace.
Passing another one of these long and serpentine corridors we reached the winery, located under the main street. Grapes were dropped down here through a shoot into a huge pottery. From it, the grape juice was carried in smaller pots to the other side of the room where it was poured into six holes on the floor, allowing the extract to ferment there at a cooler temperature.
On the same one-day journey, we travelled from Derinkuyu to Ihlara canyon. Descending the 300 steps, we saw a tranquil place with sheer walls punched by great number of cliff dwellings and a beautiful creek on the bottom of the valley floor. We walked there for three kilometres but the most significant sight in this awesome 14km-long canyon was a caved church, carved into the rocks during the ninth century. Its name is St. Daniel, but the locals, oddly, call it Under the Tree. The frescos in the church, made by Syrian and Mesopotamian painters, have been well preserved through the ages. The yellow colour of the murals was produced from saffron. The brown and red colours were extracted from various roots such as onion skin, walnut skin and leaves.
Ironically, the living quarters of the very private residents of Cappadocia are now prey to visitors from all over the world as well as tour guides and street vendors. So as you descend into the underground world of Cappadocia perhaps you’ll recall the old alluring invitation to “Come with me to the casbah”.
Source: Month2Come
By Vladislav Mihaylov
Cappadocia, a land of bewitching rock formations and beautiful valleys in Turkey, was created after two volcanoes, Erciyes and Hasan, erupted millions of years ago. Their legacy was an area of volcanic ash concealing a unique world of subterranean cities whose inhabitants built a labyrinthine maze of dwellings and defences against the outside world. The unique rock formations, pierced by thousands of hand-dug cliff dwellings, temples and churches with their frescos and murals – as well the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli – draw millions of tourists every year. Derinkuyu, our first destination, is almost twice the size of Kaymakli and one of the largest underground cities in Cappadocia, of which there are 125 in Turkey. The blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark was filmed here. Derinkuyu has eight levels and extends 85 metres underground. The final 30 metres underground are still closed, awaiting further excavation. Only one area of the city, the so-called yellow section covering half of Derinkiyu’s area, is passable. The first floor of the underground city was dug in the fifth century BC. The other levels were forged in the sixth century onward during the Byzantine period.
As we descended through the entrance built by the Turkish Government, we reached the second level. The first floor, perversely, is near the exit. In olden times, armies and horses would hide and rest inside the first level. When people from the Byzantine era discovered this underground city, they continued digging, aware of the great protection it provided. At the end of the sixth century, houses, all connected to the city, were built above the underground area.
If you imagined that the concept of an underground bunker was merely a Hitlerian innovation you’d be mistaken. Up to 10 000 residents hid in the depths of Cappadocia’s earth during dangerous times, creating an intricately organised system of defences. Heavy-duty stone doors were erected in order to seal passages. Supplying proper food was vital, hence dried meats and fruits were stored in four cool storage rooms near the ventilation shaft to prevent spoiling. The smoke chimneys formed an important part of the kitchens, allowing smoke up the shoots to the surface. These were masked and covered with rocks, opening only at meal times.
Residents could fire arrows at enemies through narrow slits in the doors. On another corner there was a washing section. The residents obtained fresh water from rain water above ground. Slabs with holes, in which sticks were plugged in, covered the ends of the waterways to prevent water running. However, the reservoir was insufficient to supply the whole underground city. So spring water was also received from a 58m deep well on the seventh level.
The city’s ventilation shaft keeps adjacent halls cooler than other rooms. The shaft is 55 metres deep and each floor has a connected way leading to the chimneys, keeping the air fresh. More ventilation shafts can be found elsewhere because one would be insufficient to air the entire area of such an elaborate labyrinth. Other important premises were the temple-church, meeting room, religious school, baptism pool, winery and stables.
On both sides of the “main street” you can find lined arched openings used to enter the rooms. They were deliberately narrow so as to only allow people in one by one. Some heavy stone doors at the main gates still block the main street and premises from the connecting passages. Traps were laid on the inward side of the stone doors to catch malevolent bandits, vagabonds and robbers who might have discovered the secret underground town. As soon as villains penetrated the gates, they either fell or were pushed by guards straight into a deep dark pit.
At the seventh level we entered a semi-circular “wishing channel” where, supposedly, all one’s innermost dreams come true. Then, coming to a corner side with three arched columns, we reached the final level – the eighth. Although not as large as the other floors, it’s occupied by seven bedrooms, each of which has a “caved” area for privacy under the floor. On the fifth level, there’s a living room leading to a stable. The passage then leads up to a third floor where priests taught religion. Some of the students travelled eight to 10 kilometres and so only attended religious school twice a week. Everything was done to conceal the underground population from prying eyes. At least one or two people died every day but no graves or crosses marked their resting place. They were simply taken to the surface and buried or cremated without trace.
Passing another one of these long and serpentine corridors we reached the winery, located under the main street. Grapes were dropped down here through a shoot into a huge pottery. From it, the grape juice was carried in smaller pots to the other side of the room where it was poured into six holes on the floor, allowing the extract to ferment there at a cooler temperature.
On the same one-day journey, we travelled from Derinkuyu to Ihlara canyon. Descending the 300 steps, we saw a tranquil place with sheer walls punched by great number of cliff dwellings and a beautiful creek on the bottom of the valley floor. We walked there for three kilometres but the most significant sight in this awesome 14km-long canyon was a caved church, carved into the rocks during the ninth century. Its name is St. Daniel, but the locals, oddly, call it Under the Tree. The frescos in the church, made by Syrian and Mesopotamian painters, have been well preserved through the ages. The yellow colour of the murals was produced from saffron. The brown and red colours were extracted from various roots such as onion skin, walnut skin and leaves.
Ironically, the living quarters of the very private residents of Cappadocia are now prey to visitors from all over the world as well as tour guides and street vendors. So as you descend into the underground world of Cappadocia perhaps you’ll recall the old alluring invitation to “Come with me to the casbah”.
Source: Month2Come
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