Derinkuyu

Derinkuyu Review

Derinkuyu, meaning "deep well," is the deepest of the known underground cities that have been explored. Eight floors, reaching to a depth of 55 meters (180 ft), in this subterranean labyrinth are open to the public, though there may be more floors that are unexplored. There are stables, wineries, a chapel, school, scores of other interconnected rooms, and as many as 600 entrances and air ducts. You'll also see ventilation shafts that plunge as deep as 55 meters (280 ft) from ground level. In parts, you'll have to walk doubled over almost in half for a hundred meters (about 330 feet) through a cave corridor. A visit here is an amazing, almost surreal, experience but you probably won't want to spend more than an hour inside. Derinkuyu is on the way to the Ihlara Valley and many tour groups stop here so it is often more crowded than Kaymakli.