Tatlarin Underground City

Tatlarin lies on the slope of a hill the locals call Kale, the fortress, about ten kilometres from Acıgöl in Nevşehir province. Beneath the hill is one of Cappadocia's larger underground cities. It opened to visitors in 1991, but only a small part has been cleared so far. The scale of the rooms, the number of food stores and the many churches suggest something more than a village refuge: a military garrison or a monastic complex.

Two floors can be walked today. Among the features is a toilet, which is rare in Cappadocia's underground settlements and tells you something about how organised daily life here was.

Tatlarin's churches are the other draw. The wall paintings use both fresco and secco techniques and belong to the 13th century. In the first church, the apse shows Anna to the left of the Virgin and Joachim seated on a throne to the right, while scenes such as the Crucifixion, the Last Supper, the Descent into Hell and the Betrayal of Judas survive. Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena, holding the Holy Cross, also appear. The second church has two naves and a vault, and its scenes are set off from one another by bands. Analysis found a blue pigment used in these paintings.