Nearly 1.5 million tourists visited the underground cities in Cappadocia, one of Türkiye's famed tourist locations, popular for its hot air balloons and rich cultural heritage, in 2023, according to local officials.
Cappadocia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the central province of Nevşehir, has become a popular destination worldwide in recent years thanks to its distinctive volcanic cones known as fairy chimneys, atmospheric underground cities, hot air balloon trips, houses carved into rocks and churches, chapels and shelters used in the early years of the Christian faith.
Tourists who enter the underground cities pass through tunnels, witnessing traces of thousands of years of life.
These cities, made by carving tufa rocks in 3000-3500 B.C. and expanded during the Roman and Byzantine periods after the Hittites, attract the attention of local and foreign tourists.
The underground cities of Derinkuyu, Kaymaklı, Tatlarin, Mazi and Özkonak, along with Kayaşehir, which were discovered in the city center during urban transformation works in 2014 and opened to the public in 2020, were visited by over 1.49 million tourists in 2023.
The underground city of Kaymaklı hosted the highest number of visitors, with approximately 560,000.
The district's mayor, Harun Çekiç, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that underground cities make an important contribution to Cappadocia's tourism.
Stating that officials in the region are continuing their promotional activities at national and international tourism fairs to attract more visitors to the underground city of Kaymaklı, he said that the underground city had been used as a shelter in the past.
"After the transition of the region to the Ottoman rule, it turned into cold storage warehouses where the people stored their products," he said.
"Many civilizations have lived here. It is an area where people have common areas, kitchens and places of worship," he added.
"More than half a million tourists visit the underground city of Kaymaklı annually," he said, underlining their efforts to increase this number.
Mentioning that they are eyeing 1 million visitors in 2024, Çekiç stated: "One of the first sightseeing routes that comes to mind when Cappadocia is mentioned is Kaymaklı."
Indian tourist Rahul Mollya noted he was impressed by the underground city he was visiting with his friend. "This is a wonderful place. Although it was cold outside, it was warm inside. It was an interesting experience for us."
Gökhan Kumlu, who came to Cappadocia from Mersin, said he had the opportunity to visit an underground city for the first time. "We have seen the traces of history," he added.
"It has a very different atmosphere inside. It gets a little creepy when you go into the depths, but it's a must-see place to visit," he said.
