Archaeologists stunned after flooding leads to discovery of huge 5,000-year-old underground city in Turkey
Turkish authorities in their pursuit of finding the root cause of flooding in multiple houses, located a long-lost city just below their feet. The discovery was made in the Çalış township of Avanos by the region's municipal workers in 2019, Newsweek reported. In the past, the entrance to the city had been sealed for safety concerns. Experts had been called to the site to analyze the various features of the underground city. Leaders in Çalış township were optimistic that the city would soon be opened to tourists.
Flooding Complaint
Fifteen families in the Çalış township of Avanos complained to the local municipality that their houses were flooding with water and their personal investigation had yielded no results regarding the cause, Daily Sabah reported. Municipality crews immediately got to work and began discharging water from the affected homes. The team suspected that certain tunnels in the city could be responsible for the strange flooding. They applied heavy-duty machines to open the tunnels and discovered an underground city partially submerged in water. They noted that the flooded homes were located just above the flooded city's rooms.
The Underground City
The examination of the city revealed that it was around 5000 years old, Daily Sabah reported. Researchers found that the lost city had three floors which contained within it homes, tunnels as well as places of worship. The experts also located a small figurine which they believe is an icon of those times.
The city's size has been estimated to be around five kilometers, as per archaeologists. Records have revealed that the city was used by civilians as an animal shelter until the beginning of the 20th century. For unspecified reasons, this practice was abandoned.
Alaaddin Sarıtaş, a local from Çalış claimed that the city was unearthed 25 years ago due to an accident. A child allegedly fell inside the tunnel, and to prevent any such future incidents the city was reportedly sealed. In local tales, the lost city has been referred to as Gir-Gör.
Tourism Potential
Çalış mayor Kazım Yılmaz believes more analysis is required to understand the history and architecture associated with the long-lost city, Daily Sabah reported. He also wants to open the structure for tourists. The region is a hotspot for tourists and such a site could add to revenue. The mayor is in the process of requesting Turkey's cultural property protection board, to consider the structure as an historical site. Yılmaz stated that two more sites in the region could have underground cities beneath them. This claim aligns with the fact that the region is popular among archaeologists as a place possibly containing several historical sites and artifacts.
The locals weren't as surprised as others, Daily Sabah reported. Ahmet Yılmaz, a local, claimed that he traveled through the tunnels as a kid, and once reached a portion containing rooms. Sarıtaş further alleged that many foreign travelers had come to the region in search of the lost city. He stated that the explorers believed that the city was a source of "healing water" and "Caesar's bath."