Dust of Time
Entering the Labyrinth
Imagine descending into a city that was never meant to exist.
The earth opens its mouth and offers you a deal:
— Do you want to survive?
— Do you want to disappear?
— Do you want to become part of something older than fear?
Derinkuyu is not a museum. It’s a capsule buried by humanity to preserve itself. And everyone who descends becomes another element of its memory.
Past the Empires
Historians say the Hittites began this labyrinth when the world outside was burning and falling apart. Later, Byzantines hid here from the Arabs, early Christians from the Romans — everyone from everyone.
Derinkuyu is not a city but a function. It switched on every time the world above got too loud.
Inside — ventilation shafts, schools, churches, wineries, stables. Even a prison. Everything needed to live underground for months while the surface went mad.
Fragments of Now
Today, Derinkuyu is open — but not completely. Only part of the labyrinth is for tourists. The rest of the levels are like a dream you half-remember.
You walk through corridors that suddenly narrow, then open into wide halls again.
Groups of visitors whisper about how anyone could have built this without modern tools. The guide smiles and says there are more levels below, but they’re off-limits.
Shadows at the Edge of the Mind
The underground city is fear turned into architecture, perfected. But if you listen closely, there is not only fear there — but also hope.
These tunnels are the collective unconscious, dug out by human hands.
We dig not just through earth, but through ourselves. And the deeper we dig, the clearer we see that the void is not outside but within.
Derinkuyu teaches that sometimes you must vanish in order to survive. And that it’s easier to hear your own thoughts in the dark.
How Did We Get There?
Derinkuyu is in Cappadocia, near Nevşehir. Getting there is easy: bus, rental car, or tour.
Entrance is inexpensive, but it’s best to come early in the morning when there are fewer people.
Wear comfortable shoes and don’t bring a backpack — the tunnels are narrow. And if you fear tight spaces — think twice.
Echo in the Void
Climbing back to the surface, I had the strange feeling that the city hadn’t completely let me go.
As if I had left a double of myself down there, still wandering the corridors while I live above.
Maybe that’s how Derinkuyu works: you enter as one person, but leave divided. A part of you stays behind to guard the silence.
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