May 16, 2022 17:00:00

An underground ruin about 2000 years old that can accommodate 70,000 people is discovered in Turkey

An underground ruin about 2000 years ago, which is estimated to have inhabited up to 70,000 people, was excavated in

Midyat , Mardin Province , in the southeastern part of Turkey. It is possible that early Christians persecuted by the Roman Empire lived in the vast underground space.

Huge Underground City Discovered in southeastern Turkey
https://ftnnews.com/news-from-turkey/43832-excavations-in-cave-reveal-huge-underground-city-in-turkiye

Excavations reveal huge underground city in Turkey's Mardin | Daily Sabah
https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/excavations-reveal-huge-underground-city-in-turkeys-mardin

Underground city unearthed in Turkey may have been refuge for early Christians | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/christians-hid-from-romans-in-underground-city

According to Mayor Veysi Sahin of Midoyat, the underground ruins were discovered two years ago during a project to clean and preserve historic streets and houses. At first it was thought to be just a cave, but it turned out that the cave was actually a passage leading to a larger underground space, so a large-scale excavation work was started to reveal the whole picture of the underground ruins. rice field.

You can see the state of the underground city named ' Matiate ' by watching the following video.

Mardin Midyat'ta mağarada başlayan kazı, devasa bir yer altı şehrine doğru ilerliyor --YouTube


Midyat is a town built by the Hurrians who lived in northern Mesopotamia, and many of the inhabitants were Christians from ancient times to the present day. It is said that old Christian churches and houses are preserved even today.

The excavation work of the underground ruins found in the basement of Midyat is underway with the cooperation of the Mardin Museum, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, and the General Bureau of Cultural Properties and Museums.

Various structures have been found even near the ground.

This is the entrance leading to the vast underground ruins.

After passing through the arched entrance ...

There was a vast space illuminated by the light for excavation work. It seems that some of the residents of Midoyato knew that there was an underground cave for a long time, but it was not thought that there was such a vast underground city.

The limestone passages are laid out like ant's nests, and excavation work is being carried out everywhere.

There are also long passages that you can't see ahead.

Inside, there is also a space that seems to be a

synagogue with the star of David, which symbolizes Judaism. Relics such as Roman coins and oil lamps have also been found, so it is believed that the underground ruins were built by the Hurrians around the 2nd and 3rd centuries.

Archaeological excavations to date have found 49 rooms, including Christian churches, synagogues, storages, wells, and dwellings, but only less than 5% of all underground ruins have been excavated. Gani Tarkan, director of the Mardin Museum and responsible for excavation, estimates that the total area of the underground ruins will exceed 400,000 square meters, which is large enough to accommodate up to 60,000 to 70,000 people.

It is speculated that the underground ruins were built as a hideout or shelter for Christians, 'as of the second century, Christianity was not the official religion of the Roman Empire, and Christian families and groups were underground to escape persecution. It was common to evacuate to cities. Perhaps the underground city of Midoyat was one of the living spaces built for this purpose. '

'There is no other underground city in such a vast area,' Tarkan said, highlighting that Midoyat's underground city is the only one in the world.