A massive underground city, believed to be the largest in the world, has been discovered in Nevsehir, central Anatolia Turkey. During a major urban transformation project (urban regeneration) carried out by TOKI (government supported re-development initiative of urban areas), where 100's of shanty houses in Nevsehir were cleared to give way to modern structured residences. As works went underway to lay the foundations for the new developments, a colossal underground city, made up of thousands of inter-connecting rooms, was discovered. The area was immediately declared as 'national heritage zone' and TOKI moved its development plans elsewhere in the city.
The underground city just discovered under Nevsehir fortress and surrounding areas could be the biggest archaeological discovery of 2014. The area of Nevsehir and Goreme is already well-known for its fairy chimney rock formations, which draw millions of culture tourists to Turkey each year. As works go underway to establish the origins and entire structure of the city, the discovery has already excited archaeologists all over the globe. The underground city, which is thought to date back to 3,000 BC, appears to be home to a major civilisation that lived along a 7 km underground city. TOKI head Mehmet Ergun Turan said "This is not a known underground city. Tunnel passages of 7 km are being discussed. We stopped the construction we were planning to do when the city was discovered". The area has now been announced as an archaeological area to preserve.
The city, which is believed to be around 5,000 years old, has escape galleries and underground churches nestled under the fortress of Nevsehir. Stating that they will have to move the planned development of their new residences to the outskirts of the city, Mr. Turan, head of TOKI, explained that TOKI had already invested up to 90 million Turkish Lira (approximately 42 million USD) in the development project, however, that they were more than happy to help announce the area as a major heritage zone.
Nevsehir area is already home to several well known underground cities, however, relatively speaking the latest find is many times larger than all of them put together.