Özkonak Underground City

Özkonak was found in the 1970s by a local farmer wondering where the water he poured on his crops was going, and it turned out to be draining into a system of chambers cut into the volcanic rock below. It is smaller than Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı and only a few of its levels are open, but it has features the big two do not: above several of the doorways are narrow holes drilled through the rock from the chamber above, designed for pouring hot oil or dropping missiles onto anyone forcing the passage, and there is a system of pipes through the walls that let people on different levels communicate. Otherwise the elements are familiar - millstone doors, ventilation shafts, wine presses, storage niches, stables. The real difference is traffic: Özkonak sees a fraction of the coach parties, so you can often go through it alone, which changes the experience of a confined space considerably.

What you actually see

• The oil holes - shafts above doorways for defence.
• The communication pipes - channels linking the levels.
• The millstone doors - the standard sealing blocks.
• The empty passages - the quiet the big sites lack.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Any time of day - it rarely gets crowded, which is the main argument for choosing it over Kaymaklı.

Honest expectations

It is small - under an hour - and less elaborate than Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı. Passages are still low and cramped. Facilities and signage are minimal.

Nearby

Avanos and its potteries are 14 km south; Zelve, Paşabağ and the Göreme valleys are beyond.