Özkonak Underground City

Cappadocia is honeycombed with underground settlements: estimates suggest around 150 to 200 of them of various sizes, and more are likely to be found, since almost every town and village in the region has rock-cut spaces. Most were made by cutting down into soft tuff to create deep caves, and the main aim was safety.

Their layout follows a defensive logic. Rooms and galleries are linked in a maze that slowed down any enemy who entered, and Özkonak is a clear example of the approach. The city lies in the village of Özkonak, 14 kilometres from Avanos, cut into the northern slopes of Mount İdiş, where the layers of volcanic tuff are especially thick.

Only part of it has been cleared so far. In the sections that are open, galleries stretch across a wide area and are joined by tunnels, giving a sense of how large the underground network was and of how much of it remains hidden.