A 376-kilometer-long (234-mile-long) underground city in the central Anatolian province of Kayseri continues to veil its mysteries in obscurity.
The city's tunnels, which pass under almost all of the houses in the region and whose entrances were closed by residents over time, were once an important trade feature for the region.
Speaking to local media, Mustafa Aksu, the previous mayor of the district, said that the people who came to Zincidere over time built 250 mansions in the neighborhood.
“They were a wealthy society that thrived on trade. Zincidere was the heart of the cotton trade in central Anatolia at that time. There were 52 cotton merchants here in 1873. They established a significant trade center here,” he remarked.
“The main center of the underground tunnels is the monastery in the Zincidere Commando Brigade. The tunnels pass through all the houses in Zincidere. The connecting road stretches all the way from here to Cappadocia. From Cappadocia, it goes to Aksaray and then to Dulkadirli in Kırşehir. The total length of the underground tunnels is 376 kilometers.”
Noting that the tunnels were built mainly for defense and security purposes, Aksu said that the tunnels also kept people cool during the summer months.
Aksu added that the tunnels passed through many houses but inhabitants closed the passageways by blocking the entrances over time.
“Since the tunnels pass under almost all of the houses, everyone built a wall on the entrance so that no one would trespass upon their properties.”
