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Among the most extraordinary phenomena of the Cappadocia region are the remains of a number of underground settlements , some of them large enough to have accommodated up to 30,000 people. The cities are thought to date back to Hittite times, though the complexes were later enlarged by Christian communities who created missionary schools, churches and wine cellars. A total of forty such settlements, from villages to vast cities, have been discovered, but only a few are open to the public. The most thoroughly excavated is in the village of DERINKUYU (daily: winter 8am-5.30pm; summer dawn-dusk; $4), 29km from Nevsehir and accessible by dolmus . The city is well lit and the original ventilation system still functions remarkably well, but some of the passages are small and cramped. The size of this rock-cut warren is difficult to comprehend even on a thorough exploration, since only part of what has been excavated is open, and even this is thought to comprise only a quarter of the original city. The area consists of a total of eight floors reaching to a depth of 55m. What you'll see includes - on the first two floors - stables, wine presses and a dining hall or schoolroom with two long, rock-cut tables; living quarters, churches, armouries and tunnels on the third and fourth floors; and a cruciform church, a meeting hall, a dungeon and a grave on the lower levels. Some 9km north of Derinkuyu on the Nevsehir-Nigde highway you'll have passed KAYMAKLI (daily 8am-6pm; Oct-Feb closes 5pm; $4). Smaller and less popular than Derinkuyu, only five of its underground levels have been excavated to date. The layout is very similar, networks of streets with small living spaces leading off into underground plazas with various functions, the more obvious of which are stables, smoke-blackened kitchens, storage spaces and wine presses.
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