Underground Cities

It was not so easy being a Christian before the Roman empire accepted the religion. There were also other battles about who-knows-what that made life difficult. The Cappadochians wanted a place that they could take shelter when maurading armies came through. So, using what they had, they carved out entire underground cities where they could stay for weeks if need be. Up to 1000 people could fit into the one we visited. It was very well planned with massive ventilation shafts, a well, a communal kitchen and eight floors of living space. The entrances were through long narrow passageways and the Cappadochians set up giant circular stones that could be rolled into place to block the tunnel. So, from the inside of the tunnel there was a side room, so a bunch of people could wedge this door across the tunnel, but from the direction that led to the outside, only one person could squeeze in at a time, so the invaders could not move the piece of rock and therefore could not get in.

For more protection, several of the underground cities were linked with tunnels that were several miles long.

What I thought was most amazing was the amount of organization that was needed to keep the underground cities at the ready. They had to be stocked with wood and food and everyone needed to know which living niche was theirs. There are no written records about how it was all organized so it remains a mystery.