Kaymakli Underground City

Kaymakli is a town 20 km from Nevsehir. Its old Greek name was Enegup. Today it's famous for one of the largest underground cities in Cappadocia. Its history dates back to Hittite and Phrygian period and expanded over the centuries. The dwellings we see today were carved by early Christians during the 9th and 10th centuries to protect themselves from invaders coming to Central Anatolia in search of captives and plunder. During the Republic period local farmers used these caves as a storage for their crops or as stables for their animals, then noticing its tourism potential it was opened to the public in 1964

Kaymakli Underground City is the second largest underground city complex in Cappadocia. There is a maze of tunnels and endless rooms carved eight levels deep into the earth, but only four of them are open to the public. All these areas are equipped with electricity for the comfort of visitors today. After buying the admission ticket and go inside, you'll notice red arrows showing you the way down and blue arrows to go up.

The first floor of this troglodyte cave city was the stable. When you go through different corridors and tunnels you can notice round millstone doors to block the passage. As you go deeper you'll see a church, living areas, storage places, wineries, kitchen, and ventilation shafts going all the way down.

Another important underground city near Kaymakli is at Derinkuyu, which is the largest troglodyte cave city in Cappadocia.