Özkonak Underground City

When the doorway of a room in Özkonak is sealed, fresh air still arrives through thin, tall shafts only about five centimetres across. The underground city stands in the town of Özkonak, 14 km from Avanos, and it is one of many such settlements in Cappadocia. This detail is what separates it from Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu.

Underground settlements in Cappadocia

The region is estimated to hold between 150 and 200 underground settlements of different sizes, and the count may grow as rock-cut settlements in towns and villages are recorded. Most were made by digging into soft tuff to form deep caves. The aim was to give the people living there a secure refuge. Interlinked rooms and galleries, often called labyrinths, slowed down any enemy who entered. Özkonak is a typical example of this approach.

Layout and features

The city is cut into the northern slopes of Mount İdiş, where the volcanic tuff layers are especially thick. Galleries stretch across wide areas and are joined by tunnels. Narrow, long openings link the floors so people could talk between levels, and they ventilate the rooms once the entrances are shut. As in other underground cities there are air shafts, water wells, şırahane (wine presses) and rolling stones, the large disc-shaped rocks that close a passage by rolling across it.

The site has not yet been fully cleared; the portion cleared so far covers a wide area.

Visiting

Fly into Nevşehir or Kayseri, then travel by road through Ürgüp to the town of Özkonak. Hours and fees can change; check the page on muze.gov.tr. The MüzeKart is valid for Turkish citizens.