Derinkuyu

[crazydrummerdude]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derinkuyu_Underground_City

[lolabelle]

ohh, very cool. I can't imagine what else lies there, undiscovered.

That reminds me of this place. If anyone is ever in Rome, go here. It's pretty small, and tucked away near the Colosseum. They've turned the below ground excavations into a pretty neat little museum. You can feel... smell... just really experience the history and age of the place. You can see and hear the underground river/springs that flow under Rome. This was the ONE place in Rome that I insisted we visit.

[redox]

that's really amazing. here's a link with a few photos and little map of the place http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/derinkuyu-or-allure-of-underground-city.html

[Freak]

Tuff is pretty simmilar to sandstone, which is why it's so easy to carve out and yet remain stable.

Naples, Italy is built on the same stuff, they have tons of underground as well. Nothing on the order of an actual city, but they've got quarries, bomb shelters, ancient Roman water tunnels, sewers, even roman subways (tunnels for chariots complete with ventillation and light shafts). Then there's all the modern stuff under there like modern subways, sewers, utility tunnels, drains, etc.

The biggest system is the Roman water supply. Basically a series of tunnels all over the city brought water in from a river, and led to cistern caverns (former mines) under various areas. Wells led from the cisterns up into houses and other buildings, you'd lower a bucket down into the old mine to get your drinking water. That system was used up until Cholera broke out in the 1800s, and much of the underground stuff is still there.

If anyone's over there, hook up with the folks at http://napoliunderground.org/, they're awesome.

[redox]