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Derinkuyu (District Municipality, Turkey)

Flag of Derinkuyu - Image Tomislav Šipek, 18 June 2015

Presentation of Derinkuyu
Flag of Derinkuyu
Municipalities
- Yazıhüyük

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Presentation of Derinkuyu

The municipality of Derinkuyu ("Deep Well"; 21,945 inhabitants in 2012, 10,804 in the town proper; 44,489 ha) is located 30 km south of Nevşehir.
The underground city of Derinkuyu is the deepest of the underground cities discovered in Cappadocia and currently open to the public.

Quoting Something Interesting, 9 May 2014:

Archaeologists believe the underground cities of Cappadocia could number in the hundreds. To date, just six have been excavated.
The underground city at Derinkuyu is neither the largest nor oldest, but it fascinates as it is the deepest of the underground cities and was only recently discovered in 1963. (The largest, Kaymakli, has been inhabited continuously since first constructed).
While there is no consensus for who is responsible for building Derinkuyu, many groups have occupied the underground city over the centuries. It is believed Derinkuyu was later expanded during the Byzantine era (330-1461 CE). During this time the underground city was known as Malakopea. Early Christians used the tunnels to escape persecution during raids from the Muslim Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties.

Excavation is incomplete but archaeologists estimate Derinkuyu could contain up to 18 subterranean levels.
Miles of tunnels are blackened from centuries of burning torches. They were strategically carved narrow to force would-be invaders to crawl single-file. Eventually the tunnels reach hundreds of caves large enough to shelter tens of thousands of people.
The build-out of Derinkuyu accommodated for churches, food stores, livestock stalls, wine cellars, and schools. Temporary graveyards were constructed to hold the dead; an ironic twist, bodies were stored underground until it was safe to return them the surface.

Ivan Sache, 28 February 2016

Flag of Derinkuyu

The flag of Derinkuyu (photo) is white with the municipality's emblem in the middle. "Belediyesi" means "Presidency".
The emblem of the municipality features the landmark of the aboveground town, the statue of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (photo).
The other elements of the emblem represent the topography of the aboveground town, built at the foot of a big rock, and, most probably, the underground city of Derinkuyu (photo).

Tomislav Šipek & Ivan Sache, 28 February 2016

Municipalities

Yazıhüyük

Flag of Yazıhüyük - Image by Tomislav Šipek, 24 September 2015

The flag of Yazıhüyük is white with the municipality's emblem in the middle. "Belediyesi" means "Municipality".

Tomislav Šipek, 24 September 2015