Possible Christian underground city found in Turkey

[guy]

Many artifacts from the second and third centuries A.D. were unearthed in an underground city in Mardin's Midyat district in Turkey, as shown in this April 16 photo. (Image credit: Photo by Halil Ibrahim Sincar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

 

Excavation teams discovered that a cave, which was found during works carried out in the historical streets and houses in the district two years ago, opened up into underground corridors that provide passages to different places. (Image credit: Photo by Halil Ibrahim Sincar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A possible underground city that was a refuge from Romans in Turkey has been discovered.

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Archaeologists in southeastern Turkey have unearthed a vast underground city that was built almost 2,000 years ago and could have been home to up to 70,000 people. The subterranean complex may have been a protected space that early Christians used to escape Roman persecution.

 

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Now, 49 chambers have been unearthed in the colossal complex, as well as connecting passages, water wells, grain storage silos, the rooms of homes, and places of worship, including a Christian church and a Jewish synagogue.

Artifacts found in the caverns and decorations on the walls indicate that the subterranean complex was built sometime in the second or third centuries A.D.

And there is still a large area to excavate. Tarkan estimates that just 3% of the underground city, now known as Matiate, has been explored so far, and that the entire complex may have been large enough to accommodate between 60,000 and 70,000 people.

 

 

https://www.livescience.com/christians-hid-from-romans-in-underground-city

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by guy