Özkonak Underground City

Özkonak Underground City is located in Cappadocia, where each side of it has a different mystery. Another mystery in this mysterious place is Özkonak Underground City. Located in the region where the tuff layer is most intense on Mount Idis, the softness of the layer of the Özkonak Underground City allowed people to dig deep to protect themselves from both cold and heat, as well as enemy attacks and invasions. With the increasing population, they dug it even deeper.

Özkonak, which has air chimneys, wine houses, water wells, and bolt stones as in Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı underground cities, is distinguished from other underground cities by its long and narrow holes which provide communication between floors. These holes, ranging in size from 5 to 8 cm, provided the opportunity to stay inside and communicate longer when the enemy was at the door.

Özkonak Underground City, whose exact date is unknown, is thought to have been built in 400 BC. Özkonak Underground City was found by Latif Acar in 1972 while wondering where the excess crop water had gone. Later, it is specified that the large 10-story underground city can house 60,000 people. Although four floors are open at the moment, it has a depth of 40m and has ten floors. For now, geologists think that the underground city was built by the inhabitants of Byzantine Cappadocia. Another idea is that the late Hittite periods were the local place of the federations of 24 principalities called Kabal.

Özkonak Underground City, which has an average of 500 visitors per day in summer, is 35 km away from the center of Nevşehir. You can reach Özkonak Underground City by tour buses from the city center. The entrance fee of the city in 2021 is 30 TL. You can visit between 08:00-19:00 in the summer season (April to October), and between 08:00-17:00 in the Winter Season (November to March).