Ozkonak Underground City is one of the hundreds of underground cities in the Cappadocia region. This region is located in Ozkonak, a big town in the Avanos district, which was established in the valley revealed by the surrounding mountains. About 15 km north of Avanos, the village of Ozkonak is home to a smaller version of the underground cities of Kaymakli and Derinkuyu, complete with wine tanks and stone-wheeled gates. The underground city of Ozkonak isn’t as flashy and impressive as its more famous ones but less crowded.
The easiest way to get there is to take a minibus from Avanos. No connection on the weekend. Inform the driver of the city you’re going to underground city; the bus stops at the gas station, 500 meters from the entrance.
Ozkonak Underground City
Located in the town of Ozkonak, 14 km from Avanos district of Nevsehir, Ozkonak Underground City was built on the northern slopes of Idis Mountain, in an area where volcanic granite tuff layers are concentrated. The galleries, which are spread over a wide area and are living spaces in the underground city, are connected by tunnels.
Unlike Derinkuyu and Kaymakli, the most famous underground cities of Cappadocia, there’re very narrow and long holes that allow communication between the galleries at different levels (floors) in Ozkonak. In any unfavorable situation that threatens the underground city from the outside, the entrances of the rooms, which are carved very neatly into the rocks, are closed, and both ventilation and communication between the floors are provided through narrow and long holes.
In this underground city, as in Kaymakli and Derinkuyu, there’re air shafts, water wells, cider houses and bolt stones. Although the underground city, consisting of four floors, hasn’t been wholly cleaned yet, the parts of the galleries that spread over vast areas are open to visitors.
The end of the lower fourth floor of this underground city is reached by passing through a narrow corridor that only one person can move through. This last part is estimated to be the prison part of the underground city. There’re three Cross Stones, more significant than the millstone, weighing tons, which act as doors between the floors and at the entrances of some rooms and can only be moved with a lot of human power. Hunting holes are used to ambush the incoming enemy above the door entrances where the tigress stone is closed.
How to Get to Ozkonak Underground City?
Check out alternative routes to go to Ozkonak Underground City:
- Going to Ozkonak Underground City by plane: The closest airport to Ozkonak Underground City is in Nevsehir. Nevsehir Cappadocia Airport is 39 km from this underground city. There’re regular flights to Nevsehir Cappadocia Airport from Istanbul and Izmir. There’re also flights from different cities during the summer period.
- Getting from Nevsehir Cappadocia Airport to Ozkonak Underground City: There is no public vehicle from Nevsehir Cappadocia Airport to Ozkonak Underground City. It takes 35 minutes to reach the underground city by private car from the airport. You can get to the underground city as soon as possible by using a taxi, private transfer vehicle or car rental options. If you want to go by public transportation, you can reach the underground city by minibusses via Avanos from this point after you come to Nevsehir center from the airport.
- Driving to Ozkonak Underground City: Ozkonak Underground City, 14 km from Avanos, is located at the eastern entrance of Ozkonak Town within the boundaries of the Avanos district. Ozkonak Town, within the borders of the Avanos district of Nevsehir, is 35 km from Nevsehir and 17 km from Avanos. To reach Ozkonak by land, it is necessary to use the Nevsehir-Avanos-Ozkonak route.
This underground city, one of the most visited among more than 200 underground cities in the Cappadocia region, is an excellent option to witness the area’s historical past and mysterious culture.
