Seizing the opportunity, he decided to investigate further by demolishing a wall, only to stumble upon an unforeseen tunnel. To his astonishment, this chance discovery led him to stumble upon a vast, ancient underground metropolis that had thrived many centuries ago, accommodating a thriving population of around 20,000 individuals.
From Insider:
Stretching 280 feet below the Earth's surface in Turkey's Cappadocia region is a web of tunnels and cave-like dwellings that once housed 20,000 people.
The ancient city, Derinkuyu, lay abandoned for decades until, in the 1960s, a local man noticed his chickens were disappearing through a gap in his basement that had opened up during renovations, the BBC reported. After knocking down a wall, he found a tunnel — and accidentally rediscovered the sprawling, subterranean city.
Now part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, Derinkuyu is open to visitors, though they can explore only eight of its 18 levels.
Cappadocia is particularly suited to underground dwellings — its landscape is made of a volcanic-ash rock called tuff, which is pliable and dry, making it easy to carve with simple tools.
More than 600 entrances to the ancient city have since been found within people's homes, the BBC reported.
According to Turkey's Department of Culture, it was built by the Phrygians in the eighth to seventh centuries BC. It was first referenced in a written text in 370 BC.
Can you imagine something of this magnitude lying just below your home?
