Mazı Underground City is an ancient
underground settlement in
Cappadocia
Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde.
According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...
in central
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
. It is located 18
kilometers from
Ürgüp
Ürgüp ( el, Προκόπιο ''Prokópio,'' or Cappadocian Greek: ''Prokópi'', ota, Burgut Kalesi) is a town and district of Nevşehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is located in the historical region of Cappadocia, an ...
and 10 kilometers east from the
Kaymaklı Underground City.
The city is one of many subterranean cities in Cappadocia including
Özkonak,
Derinkuyu
Derinkuyu ("deep well") (Cappadocian Greek: Μαλακοπή; Latin: ''Malakopí'') is a town and district of Nevşehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2010 census, population of the district is 22,114 of which 10, ...
and Kaymaklı.
History
The ancient name of the city was known as Mataza. The presence of the city dates back to as early as the Roman period. The city contains tombs dating back to the early Roman period and also contains aspects of the
Byzantium
Byzantium () or Byzantion ( grc, Βυζάντιον) was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' cont ...
period.
[
]
Description
Mazi is carved to the west of the village perpendicular to the valley slope. It contained four different access points for entrance and exit to the city which all lead to a central hall. The main entrance to the city is made of millstone in which a stone could be rolled over and used to cover the entrance.[ Additionally, the city contains a church which can be accessed via a short corridor.
]
See also
* Derinkuyu Underground City
References
External links
Turkish Museum Pass Site for Mazi
- ''in English, includes a link to a pdf with a high-resolution map''.
— ''in English''.
Underground Cities of Cappadocia - Myth and Reality
— ''in German''.
- ''in English''.
Underground cities in Cappadocia
Archaeological sites in Central Anatolia
Tourist attractions in Nevşehir Province
Buildings and structures in Nevşehir Province
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