Kaymaklı Underground City History

Kaymaklı Underground City History

Kaymaklı Underground City is one of the most famous of the Cappadocia underground cities in the Nevsehir province of central Turkey. Built by early Christians to protect them from religious persecution, Kaymaklı Underground City is an elaborate labyrinth of tunnels and caves and is probably the widest of the underground cities.

Like all of these underground cities, the most impressive aspect of the Kaymaklı Underground City is the organised, structured and comprehensive nature of the complex. It had everything from living space, stables and communal kitchens to a church and a graveyard as well as being well fortified to protect its inhabitants. The Kaymaklı Underground City also has an inordinate number of storage rooms.

Kaymaklı Underground City is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is unclear when the city was actually constructed, but the earliest Christians were living in the area from the 4th century. Incredibly well-preserved and maintained, this is a fascinating site to visit and the tour takes around 2 hours.

One of the most impressive elements of Alanya Castle is the Kizilkule, or Red Tower. Commissioned in 1226 and standing 29 meters high, it served its purpose as a defensive measure to stop the harbour from sea-born attack.
Located in the tower is a museum displaying works of art from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman periods. Many Turkish and Islamic works of are also housed at the museum, including marble, terracotta, mosaic and glass artefacts as well as coin collections dating back to Antiquity.
The oldest artefact dates to 625BC and is a stone inscription in the Phoenician language. There is also a bronze statue of Heracles, produced in the 2nd century BC.
In addition the Ethnography section of the museum exhibits hundreds of items ranging from tableware, jewellery and embroidery to manuscripts and writing tools. The Red Tower has five storeys and is 85 steps.
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