Man Discovers Entire Underground City After Knocking Down Basement Wall:
Most people who take a sledgehammer to one of their walls end up finding nothing more than some shoddy plumbing. But for one man in Turkey, a renovation attempt in 1963 led to the discovery of a lifetime. Knocking down a basement wall revealed a multi-layered underground city, which researchers are now understanding to have housed up to 20,000 people.
The man—whose name remains under wraps even after several decades—resided in the Turkish providence of Cappadocia. He's said to have been working on an interior home upgrade when he demolished the one barrier dividing his residence from that of people from as far back as the 8th or 7th centuries BCE. The hole in his wall opened up to a tunnel, which gave way to more tunnels, allowing archaeologists at the Turkish Department of Culture to inspect the newly-discovered city first hand.
Now referred to as Derinkuyu, the city is believed to have housed early Christians who fled from the Romans, plus Muslim Arabs seeking refuge from the Arab-Byzantine wars. Compared with other hideouts, Derinkuyu offered a decent level of security: Many people didn't know about the underground labyrinth at all, and if residents were found out, they could use the city's many intricate escape routes to avoid harm. They even used stone "doors" to block passageways, sealing themselves and their families inside with select livestock and other supplies until intruders gave up and left.
Certain features suggest that even non-refugees who lived in Derinkuyu resided there exclusively. Ventilation shafts, water channels, and wells as deep as 180 feet helped facilitate survival without requiring residents to venture above ground. Those who lived in Derinkuyu—temporarily or long-term—used torches to see in the city's perpetual darkness. Though much of Derinkuyu is made up of corridors, its total 172 square miles include many living quarters complete with bedrooms and kitchens, making for a relatively comfortable home.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 02, @09:43PM (8 children)
Sounds like the perfect kind of place for the 0.00001% to hide from the rest of us...when the shit hits the fan. Maybe there's one built already (but of course the existence and location is kept secret).
(Score: 3, Insightful) by sjames on Monday January 02, @11:14PM (1 child)
Most ultra-rich bunkers present no problems that can't be solved with a few yards of concrete.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Gaaark on Monday January 02, @11:41PM
Heh:
Fake a nuclear accident and then seal them all in their bunkers forever! Nice! :)
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 03, @01:31AM (5 children)
Who wants to live forever? A surprising number of people, and the ones that can afford a private (secret) bunker probably have at least two...
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Tuesday January 03, @12:28PM (4 children)
I can afford twice the concrete to ensure that no matter which one he hides in he's secure. For eternity.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 03, @02:47PM (3 children)
Lots of people can afford the concrete.
1. Can you find the bunker(s) entrances you are interested in concreting over?
2. Can you afford to deliver that much redi-mix or whatever you are going to use to the site?
3. Past the owner's security? (which, until tSHTF includes government law enforcement)
4. If you are doing this after tSHTF, can you get the mixing truck or other labor to support your venture of vengeance?
5. The better bunkers (Billionaires will be hiring consultants to tell them this) will have high placement of their entrances to avoid natural silting over, how quickly can you construct the retaining forms necessary to hold the concrete? While small and maybe medium arms fire is coming from the gun slits?
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Tuesday January 03, @03:33PM (2 children)
1. Buy more concrete, use the whole house.
2. Let's do a kickstarter, depending on the celeb, you might easily get funding.
3. Again a function of money, mostly. That's the problem with paid security.
4. We're back at the money issue.
5. We might not get them all, but don't let perfect be the anathema for good. I'll take what I get.
(Score: 3, Touché) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 03, @04:56PM (1 child)
So, you're saying you'll just out-spend the Billionaires?
I think they're a step ahead of you, what with the wealth disparity gap thing...
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Friday January 06, @09:09PM
I work in security. In other words, at face value, it seems that I have to know more than the person who implements something. I have to know the technology, just like he does, and then on top of that I have to know the security stuff.
That's what it looks like from the outside. Actually, though, I only need to know the part that is relevant for my job. I don't need to know how to format the webpage correctly. I only need to know what that SOAP interface wants to hear to respond.
Likewise, I don't have to rebuild or know everything about that bunker. My only concern is that entrance. I don't need to outspend the billionaire since I don't care about the furniture, the ventilation system, the food recycler, the water and air scrubbers and whatnot. All I care is how to shut that entrance for good.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Jiro on Tuesday January 03, @12:37AM (2 children)
Man Discovers Entire Underground City After Knocking Down Basement Wall, 60 Years ago.
It's an interesting thing. But it shouldn't be treated as news, though maybe research being done this year could count as news.
(Score: 4, Funny) by driverless on Tuesday January 03, @02:07AM (1 child)
In other news, JFK assassinated, suspect arrested.
It is an interesting story though, particularly if you read about other underground cities in the area.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 03, @03:26AM
For more old news:
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6116318 [nbcnews.com]
https://worldinparis.com/underground-paris-guide [worldinparis.com]
See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_city [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 03, @12:50AM
The truthiness is out there!
(Score: 1) by anubi on Tuesday January 03, @08:45AM
Anyone else getting this when attempting to get the story?
( https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/341826-man-discovers-entire-underground-city-after-knocking-down-basement-wall [extremetech.com] )
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by acid andy on Tuesday January 03, @02:51PM
Must've been tempting to keep quiet about it and enjoy your new err, extension for a few years!
Master of the science of the art of the science of art.