Ersele Underground City

Also known as Ozancık Underground City, Ersele Underground City is an underground city located in the village of Ozancık, in the district of Ortaköy, Aksaray Province, Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. Built within tuff of volcanic rocks, this structure covers an area of 2.5 square kilometres and was constructed in the Eastern Roman period.

Main features

According to studies, Ersele is known to have seven entrances. Inside the city there are storage rooms, water channels and tomb reliefs. Studies have shown that the underground city, which was used until about two hundred years ago, contains special rooms where cheese and wine were produced. In the city rock tombs, baths, typological furnaces and a keystone have been identified. Excavations have uncovered a warehouse with large structures for storing food and drink, and twenty‑two storage pits have been identified within the warehouse. It has been determined that the inhabitants of the underground city obtained water primarily from underground sources rather than wells. During cleaning work some sections revealed old items of archaeological value. However, many sections have been damaged by treasure hunters. In particular, rock tombs have been largely destroyed.

Transportation

Ersele is 45 km from the provincial capital of Aksaray and 18.7 km from the district center of Ortaköy.