Underground City

The volcanic ash prevalent throughout this region makes for fertile ground for farming and easy ground for excavating. So, why not build a city under the ground? Around 4000BC, farmers did just that. Not to live there, but to have a place to escape to in case of invaders and for a place to ferment their wine and store their food.

But this is not your typical food cellar or tornado shelter. No, this baby is 8 floors deep and can hold 30,000 people! The largest one found thus far could actually hold 100,000 people!

The rooms, regardless of what floor you are on, stay at a fairly constant 70 degrees year round. Just about perfect if you ask me.

One unique defense feature of the cities are sets of rolling stones at each entrance that can only be rolled from the inside. This would allow residents to go down into the city and prevent soldiers from following. Other defenses saw the city built like a maze so that if soldiers did enter before the stones could be rolled into place, they would get lost and especially so once their torches wore out.

Once out of the underground city, we explored an old Christian church before heading back into town and to the Turkish Bath. I’ll check back soon!Leia mais