Archaeologists unearth 5,000-year-old underground city in Turkey
A network of tunnels and passages, believed to date as back as 5,000 years, was discovered as developers began constructing new buildings in the area
Archaeologists in Turkey unearthed an underground city in the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir, already known for its Fairy Chimney rock formation, Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News reported.
A network of tunnels and passages, believed to date as back as 5,000 years, was discovered as developers began constructing new buildings in the area.
“It is not a known underground city. Tunnel passages of seven kilometers are being discussed,” head of Turkey’s Housing Development Administration’s (TOKİ) Mehmet Ergün Turan told Hurriyet.
“We stopped the construction we were planning to do on these areas when an underground city was discovered,” Turan added.
Commenting on the magnitude of the discovery, mayor of Nevşehir said other underground archaeological findings in the province do not amount to a “kitchen” in this new city.
“The underground city [was found] in the 45 hectares of the total 75 hectare area that is within the [urban] transformation project. We started working in 2012 with the project. We have taken 44 historical objects under preservation. The underground city was discovered when we began the destruction in line with the protocol. The first galleries were spotted in 2013. We applied to the [Cultural and Natural Heritage] Preservation Board and the area was officially registered,” he said. .
The Hurriyet Daily News reports that the unearthed city may be the biggest underground city discovered in the province.
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