Kaymakli

Kaymaklı Underground City is a large, multilevel subterranean settlement in the Cappadocia region of central Turkey. It is located in the town of Kaymaklı in Nevşehir Province and is one of the best-known underground cities in Cappadocia. The site is part of a broader landscape of rock-cut settlements formed in the region’s soft volcanic tuffs.

The city comprises a maze of tunnels, rooms, and communal facilities spread across multiple levels beneath the surface. Visitors typically access the complex through a narrow entry at ground level that leads to a series of low passages, stairways, and rolling stone doors designed to seal off sections from intruders. The layout includes stables, storage rooms, kitchens, wine cellars, chapels, and living quarters, all supported by ventilation shafts and wells to provide air and water.

Origins and history are disputed, but Kaymaklı is believed to have been developed in ancient times with significant expansion during the Byzantine era, roughly from the 7th to the 12th centuries, when inhabitants used underground spaces to defend against raid incursions. Over the centuries, the city was augmented and connected to nearby underground sites, forming part of Cappadocia’s extensive subterranean network.

Today Kaymaklı is a protected cultural site and a major tourist attraction managed by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Visitors can explore several of the lower levels that are open to the public, gaining insight into the region’s long history of shelter and community life underground.