10 Incredible Underground Cities That Still Exist

It would seem in this modern day and age that us humans like to build things that reach to the sky. However, it goes without saying that humans have probably lived in underground places and caves since ancient times, escaping harsh weather and other things such as invading armies, building downward, deep, intricate tunnels, waterways, and entire underground cities that will amaze you. From ancient underground cities, nuclear bunkers, and modern marvels of construction, check out these most insane underground cities in the world. Derinkuyu, Cappadocia, Turkey Back in 1963, a man in Turkey was making room for an extension to his house and was digging out part of a stone wall when he was surprised to find that there was space behind the wall. In fact, he found more than 300,000 square feet of space. The man didn't know it at the time, but he had stumbled across what is now recognized as one of the largest subterranean cities ever found in the world. It is located almost exactly in the center of Turkey in the region best known as Cappadocia, which is in the modern town of Derinkuyu. This ancient multi-level underground city, built somewhere between 1600 BC to 1200 BC, extends to a depth of approximately 250 feet and it could accommodate up to 20,000 people. It had everything that an entire population needed to survive a history that was riddled with invasions. Inhabitants of ancient Anatolia realized that they could cut into the soft but stable volcanic rock. This city has an enormous 18 levels with kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, food storage, oil and wine presses, wells, weapons storage, and even tombs and domestic animal stables. The city was built to withstand invasions and large stone doors could be rolled into place to close off tunnels, but the stone could only be moved from the inside. Holes in the doors meant that arrows could be shot at trespassers. This underground city is still currently open to the public, but only the first eight levels can be seen. Edinburgh Vault, Scotland While not really a city, somewhere beneath Edinburgh, Scotland is a series of chambers were formed in the 19th arches of the South Bridge, which was completed in 1788. For 30 years, the vaults were used to house taverns, workshops for tradesmen and cobblers, and also serve as a storage space. But as the years went on, these vaults became a shelter for homeless people and criminal activity. Conditions deteriorated because of poor air quality and the dampness of the area. However, businesses started to leave, and the very poorest of Edinburgh's citizens moved into the vaults. However, no one knew that the people even lived in these creepy dark vaults until 1985, when excavation uncovered toys, medicine bottles, dishes, and other signs that showed humans were there. The mystery is that no one knows when the vaults were closed down and written records regarding the place didn't exist. Some say the last inhabitants here were between 1835 and 1875. All that is known is that at some point, tons of garbage and refuse were dumped into the vaults, making them inaccessible. That was until former Scottish rugby internationalist Norrie Rowan found a tunnel leading to the vaults in the 1980s. Jixiaqiang, Beijing Far beneath the busy roads of Beijing, China exists an underground city known as Jixiaqiang, which was supposed to be a hidden secret but was badly kept. Beijing is home to 21.5 million Chinese people. But it turns out that thousands of them live in underground passages that stretch out up to three stories below the ground. No one knows the official size of the underground city or exactly where the majority of the passages can be found. However, it's believed that they cover a territory in excess of 20,000 acres and connects the majority of the city's major administrative and governmental buildings together. Some say there may have once been upwards of 900 entrances. It was built as a city-sized shelter from nuclear assault by workers burrowing by hand using shovels and bamboo baskets to carry dirt and rock to the surface. Work started in 1969 and the mystery city kept on being extended through to 1979. By now you are wondering why the city was built. Tensions between China and Russia during the Cold War reached a crucial stage in 1969 during the Sino-Soviet border conflict, an undeclared military skirmish that tested the will of the two nations. The relationship between the two nations remained shaky until 1991 when China was on high alert from the possibility of an all-out war. Karizhikish, Kish Island, Iran. The Karizh of Kish is said to have been built around 2,500 years ago by the inhabitants of Harira City, an ancient 8th century city located in what is now Kish, Iran. It has a history of about 3,000 years and has been called various names such as Kamtina, Arrakia, Arrakata, and Kish. About 52 feet below the coral island, the tunnels which have been reinforced for safety snake through the island for over five miles, creating a subterranean world. This structure was built to collect, purify, and store water for the inhabitants of the island. Its ceilings, once a seabed, are 8 meters high and mostly covered by fossilized shells and corals, and tests were done on these fossils at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, which determined that they are from 53 to 570 million years old. But the Karizh of Kish was abandoned a long time ago and forgotten by the inhabitants of the island because new technology made the water purification process much more efficient, making this ancient system obsolete. For our adventurers out there, it's a hot tourist spot and efforts have been made to preserve the traditional and historic fabric of this site while providing new uses with museums, art galleries, handicraft workshops, traditional and modern tea and coffee shops for tourists. Coober Pedy, Australia This town in northern South Australia which is widely known for its below-ground residences which are called dugouts and are built because of the scorching daytime heat. In the summer, temperatures at Coober Pedy reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit and sometimes higher. On top of this, there is very little rain, making dust storms a regular occurrence. In this area of Australia, the harsh weather and combination of mineral wealth mean one thing, life is better lived in this underground city. The interesting thing about this place is that 150 million years ago, the town was the bed of a vast ocean. The push and pull of the tides carried minerals from the sandstone seabed deep into the cracks of the earth, leaving behind silica deposits that hardened. Now, there's not a puddle of water to be seen for miles, and now sparkling opals hide in the rocky crevices. Coober Pedy is the number one source for gem-quality opals in the entire world. And now you know why people live here. Well, not too many as census showed about 1,770 people in 2016. The underground mines here are vast and their riches the most coveted in the world. And by the way, the funny-sounding name Coober Pedy comes from the local Aboriginal term Kupapiti, which means boy's waterhole. Canary Wharf, London Moving into the future of underground, Canary Wharf is a London underground station in the commercial estate of the Isle of the Dogs. Passengers headed to the new extension of London Underground's Jubilee Line step onto a bank of escalators under the graceful curve of a huge glass panel canopy. As they glide down to the ticketing level, a space of basilican scale and calm opens up before them. This underground station is nearly 1,000 feet long and covers 333,681 square feet of space. It was built within the hollow of the former West India Dock using what is called cut-and-cover construction techniques. Stepping into Canary Wharf is almost a religious experience. The ceiling is 100 feet above you. In the middle and at either end are half-egg-shaped glass domes which allow light to pour in, and a great parade of escalators appears to reach the sky. It's like a cross between Canterbury Cathedral and the set of aliens. Burlington Nuclear Bunker It wasn't until 2004 that this secret underground nuclear bunker was revealed when a short announcement was posted on the Ministry of Defence's website. The announcement said, a formerly secret government underground site near Corsham in Wiltshire, which was a potential relocation site for the government in the event of a nuclear war, was declassified at the end of 2004. It was the first official acknowledgement of what can be called an urban fortress, which lay beneath the English town of Corsham which for 40 long years remained a secret of the British military. Construction began in 1955 and the central government war headquarters was commissioned. It was built inside of a 240-acre quarry which was previously abandoned using 100 feet deep reinforced concrete walls. It was a big underground city with 35 acres of hidden entrances, streets, canteens, and purpose-built rooms to house British officials and even the Royal Family in the event of a nuclear attack. In fact, it could accommodate 4,000 staff with everything needed to survive a nuclear attack for 90 days. UNDERGROUND CITY OF HELSINKI Finland is part of the European Union, but not NATO, and Russia has previously made thinly-veiled threats if the Finns were to join the US-backed military alliance. So what to do? Build an entire underground city to serve as shelters for 750,000 people, more than the entire population of Helsinki above. Beneath Helsinki's surface lies around 500 separate underground facilities and 186 miles of tunnels that snake their way throughout the city. It is one of the most elaborate underground systems in the world and includes car parks, railway tunnels, wastewater treatment plants, shopping malls, swimming pools, and even corporate data centers. But in the event that this place needs to be used as a shelter, the Finns have set themselves a target of 72 hours to turn these areas into safe places. It has state-of-the-art air and drinking water filtration systems, toilets, beds, and food supplies. At a max capacity of 750,000 people, which is unlikely to happen, they could survive for 14 days with the water reservoirs and stocked food supply. CETANIL DE LAS BODEGAS, SPAIN One of the first things you start to wonder about when looking at the photos of this unusual place is how in the world did those giant rocks end up on the top of these dwellings? Welcome to the town of CETANIL DE LAS BODEGAS where 3,000 people literally live under a rock. It's hard to believe, but people have chosen to live here for practical reasons. Instead of building an entire house to keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter, these people built facades in front of the rock, to the point where it looks as if the rock is eating the buildings. It is said that people have been living here since prehistoric times. An interesting fact? The name of the city comes from the Latin words septum nihil, which means seven times no, and refers to the seven times the Catholic rulers tried to take back the territory from the Moors. The word bodegas, meaning warehouse in Spanish, comes from the locals who store local produce here in the large, cool spaces. MONTREAL'S UNDERGROUND CITY, CANADA, REZO This underground city in Montreal is called Rezo and is the name of a series of interconnected office towers, hotels, shopping centers, and residential and commercial complexes which also include conventional halls and universities. It is said to be one of the world's largest modern underground networks with more than 18 miles of corridors leading to 2,000 shops, 4 transit stations, 10 metro stations, 265 restaurants, 10,000 parking spaces, 6 concert venues, and much more. The city is supposed to sit more than 6 feet below ground and more and was built because of the weather. Neither rain nor snow can reach any part of this city, and there are no red lights to deal with either. The city is so large that it would take several days to explore everything, and it is said that 500,000 Montrealers visit the city every day. We hope you enjoyed the video. We want to know which one of these was your favorite. Let us know in the comments. And if you liked the video, don't forget to share it and click on subscribe and turn on notifications so you'll know when we release a new video.