Cappadocia was an early center of Christianity and many of the early followers were forced into hiding in underground cities at times. I visit a large one in Derinkuyu, which consists of eight levels. The doors could be closed from the inside by rolling huge grindstones in front of the opening.
The smaller underground city in Mazi isn’t really touristically developed. It’s a matter of finding a villager to show me around with a gas light. He pantomimes some explanations and this works surprisingly well.
The area has an amazing number of churches from different periods of time, decorated in varying styles
Benches and a table are cut into the rock.
Some of the best preserved frescoes are in the dark church,
but there are many other churches in the area.
