Cappadocia
The walls are rough and
grainy. As are the floors. Without
the enigmatic laws of universal
gravitation you probably cannot tell
the difference.
There is no natural illumination.
Unless light somehow disobeys the
laws of physics and confounds all
of mankind.
Deep underground.
Obscured by the hypnotic
reverie above. Shrouded within
a burnished veil. Buried and
ingrained within the ancients’
minds but never negligently
disclosed or exposed.
For the typical modern human,
the quite ordinary response, to
the prospect of being quite nearly
enclosed within Earth’s vast depths
for an extended period of time,
would be that of awe and disbelief,
and quite possibly a hint of pity for
the archaic ways.
For the bygone inhabitants
though, who set foot here some
600 years back, there was hardly
any room for self-commiseration.
Derinkuyu was a haven.
Open-air Cappadocia saw its
fair share of bloodshed. 645 AD;
the Arabs and Byzantines were in
constant conflict. Year 1388; the
Mongolian assaults were relentless.
April 1909; news of the Adana
massacre petrified the natives.
Aboveground. A panorama
of geological wonders. The
vast terrestrial territory seemed
an arresting enchantment. Yet
the span was also an orbit of
vulnerability and impending peril.
Underground. The air lacked
a certain kinetic disposition. Any
form of radiance was dreary. Yet,
the duskiness was earnest and
genial. The crushing reins of the
surrounding rocks were nothing
more than the cordial embrace of a
guardian angel.DERINKUYU
UNDERGROUND CITY- Deepest of Cappadocia’s
several discovered
underground cities. - Believed to have held up
to 20 000 people at a
point in time. - Reports suggest there
are 18 underground
levels (not fully
excavated), of which 8
are accessible by the
public.
Various constricted corridors
greet any trespasser. Penetrate as a
collective group, and you would be
forced into a single file.
Isolation in company. Ripe for
solitary pickings. Unless you are
The Invincible, proceeding with no
lateral support, is in any sense, no
slick strategy.
At the foot of a flight of stairs,
a large circular-shaped slab is
lodged in the vicinity of a narrow
entry gap. A recess carved into
the centre of the boulder. Rolled
sideways from the inside and the
walkway is all but sealed from
the outside. There can be no
admission, only exit. The adversary
meets a dead end.
Several such stone chunks,
operable along each and everyAt the foot of a flight of stairs, a large
circular-shaped slab is lodged in the
vicinity of a narrow entry gap. A recess
carved into the centre of the boulder.
Photo: Nevit Dilmen