Turkey: Cappadocia – Kaymakli Underground City
There are dozens of underground cities in Cappadocia, some dating as far back as the Bronze Age, but most from the 6-7th century or the early Byzantine times, when the Christian inhabitants of Cappadocia hid underground from the Arab and Persian invaders. Kaymakli Underground City is the largest and most famous of the underground cities here and it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city is totally out of this world with a maze of tight passageways that extend to insane eight vertical levels. Exploring it, you go through labyrinth without beginning and end, squeezing through tight holes and dropping onto other levels, often getting lost, and feeling like you are an ant inside an ant farm. It’s a lot of fun, but probably an ultimate nightmare for claustrophobes.
