Our only quandary was how to get there and as we walked to the dolmus station, I saw Josh deviously look out the corner of his eye at ATV rentals and low and behold, we rented one! Neither of us had ever been ATVing before and while I was a bit anxious about it, Josh was a giddy as a school boy!
We hit the road and it was really quite a thrill! It took an hour and a half to get there, but we both enjoyed every second of it. Besides the thrill, it was a really lovely way to see the countryside with the cave houses and rock formations along the way. Every time we saw someone they waved with a big smile and every vehicle that saw us honked a hello; the neighborhoods just felt so friendly and excited to see two wacky tourists ATVing through their town. I was apprehensive because I have heard so many stories about motorcycles but it did feel safe and sturdy, especially going at slower speeds. If anything untoward happened, at least we would die happy!
We arrived a little sweaty and a little stiff but that was reprieved quickly as we entered the underground city and felt the cool air (consistently at 12 degrees Celsius all year). The history of these underground cities would blow your mind. In 1200 BC, the Hittites settled there creating the first couple of floors where the hid from the elements. They even kept their animals underground and there are many stables conveniently doubling as bathrooms as well. The Romans arrived in 4th century AD and created more intricate floors as they hid from the Persians. They were then followed by the Byzantines in the 6th century AD who hid from the Arabs and their influence is particularly seen with the churches, baptisteries, monasteries, and graves that they built.
Although we were reluctant, we paid a man named Mustafa to give us a quick tour to teach us the basics of what each room was and to provide a short history lesson. Otherwise it might have been difficult to know a wine cellar from a stable! Walking around underground felt surreal and even after two hours I was craving some fresh air and sunlight; I can only imagine how they felt!
The infrastructure was very small with Josh and I having to double over almost in half sometimes to squeeze through places. You have to wonder about how small people were back then! They had such advanced technology regarding ventilation shafts, communication systems, and defense tactics. I was really intrigued by the ways that they protected themselves like using a massive rock that four men would have to push to block a tunnel from invaders. Typically after blocking the assault, they had a way to get up to the next floor and shoot the invaders with arrows. They also had booby traps like large holes to fall in with spikes at the bottom. It felt like something out of a movie and it was so exciting to be there.
I am honestly not sure if I have ever seen something as cool as an underground city! It has occurred to me that I feel this way almost every day but it seems that there is always something extraordinary to see or something exciting to do and it is happily overwhelming. Just another amazing day in Turkey, a country rich in history and culture and renowned for their friendliness...I don't know how we will bring ourselves to leave this beautiful country!
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