In Kayaşehir, a historical rock-carved hillside settlement in central Turkey's Nevşehir, a 186-meter (610-feet) tunnel that has been cleaned since 2015 will welcome tourists from the first week of May.
Discovery of new areas continues in Kayaşehir, some parts of which were opened to tourism in July 2020 after years of cleaning and restoration works. The settlement was discovered by chance during the urban transformation project carried out by the Housing Development Administration in 2014.
Those who visit the area, which has been declared a third-degree archaeological site by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, will enjoy a unique experience when passing through the long tunnel carved from rock. There are also churches, many rooms and animal shelters in the area.
Nevşehir Mayor Mehmet Savran said to Anadolu Agency (AA) that Kayaşehir is an area bearing the traces of life from the sixth century until today. It may soon become an important tourism destination.
"Kayaşehir is expanding with discoveries. This is a place open to discovery over time, some places and tunnels have not yet been opened but we know they exist. The newly opened tunnel will also become navigable and Kayaşehir will be an underground city that can be entered from the slope. It will make significant contributions to tourism. When the whole of Kayaşehir will be unearthed, it will become a unique tourist destination,” he added.
Archaeologist Semih Istanbulluoğlu, who is responsible for the excavations carried out in the area, stated that Kayaşehir has different characteristics from the underground cities in the region. Noting that he believes the part opened to the public will attract the attention of tourists, Istanbulluoğlu stated that it is wide enough for a person to walk in it easily.
"In addition to the sections where people could continue their daily lives in this underground city, there is a water tunnel of 186 meters in length. This is an area that we have started to work on since 2015. The tunnel is getting ready with structural works. As it is also in the tourism season, it will open for people to visit," he added.
"We made the tunnel ready for an exciting tour. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this. It is a work of great effort. These are places that have been used for centuries, yet there is no deformation. During a long period, 25-30 workers emptied the soil inside and we unearthed lampblacks without damaging the floor," he said.
"We call it the 'city of fairy chimneys.' There are places with nearly a thousand rooms inside, opening horizontally in the form of a hillside settlement when you enter. The other underground cities go down but this place has a different concept," he said.
