The Hidden City

In 1963, a resident of the Cappadocia region of Turkey was doing some renovations on his house. When he knocked down one of his walls, he was surprised to find a hidden room carved into the stone. He explored the room, and found that it lead to an underground city –the city of Derinkuyu.

What's the paragraph's main idea?

• Scientists don't know how old the city is, but it seemed to have enough resources for its people.

• Workers found an underground city in Turkey that was bigger than Derinkuyu.

• A man in Turkey discovered something surprising beneath his house.

• The structure of the hidden city suggests that people used the underground city to hide from danger.

The underground city is over 60 meters deep –deep enough for a 20-story building. It contains massive stone doors that could only be opened or closed from the inside. This piece of evidence leads experts to believe that the underground city was built to protect the city’s residents from enemies. More than 2,000 people could live inside it. Over 600 doors lead to the city, hidden under and around existing homes.

What's the paragraph main idea?

• Workers found an underground city in Turkey that was bigger than Derinkuyu

• The structure of the hidden city suggests that people used the underground city to hide from danger.

• A man in Turkey discovered something surprising beneath his house.

• There are likely to be more underground cities in Turkey that have not yet been found.

The hidden city had its own religious centers, livestock stables, kitchens, and even schools. Walls, water tanks, and at least 15,000 air shafts made the city a comfortable place. However, expert are not sure exactly how old the underground city is, because any records of its construction and use have disappeared.

What's the paragraph's main idea?

• The structure of the hidden city suggests that people used the underground city to hide from danger.

• The artifacts found in the city below Navsehir helped scientists worked out its age and purpose.

• A man in Turkey discovered something surprising beneath his house.

• Scientists don't know how old the city is, but it seemed to have enough resources for its people.

Until recently, Derinkuyu was the largest known underground city in Cappadocia. In 2013, however, construction workers discovered another underground city during the building of a housing project. This city –located beneath the city of Nevsehir- is one of the largest known underground cities in the world. According to researches, this newly discovered ancient city could cover over 450,000 square meters and is over 110 meters deep. This means that using only simple tools, the ancient builders dug an area big enough for 65 soccer fields, and deep enough to contain a 35-story building!

What's the paragraph's main idea?

• Scientists don't know how old the city is, but it seemed to have enough resources for its people.

• Workers found an underground city that was bigger than Derinkuyu.

• The artifacts found in the city below Nevsehir helped scientists work out its age and purpose.

• A man in Turkey discovered something surprising beneath his house.

Researches have found artifacts in this city such as tools and bowls. These artifacts suggest that the city is probably up to 5,000 years old. Like Derinkuyu, it was probably built as a place where people could stay safe during times of war.

What's the paragraph's main idea?

• The artifacts found in the city below Nevsehir helped scientists work out its age and purpose.

• The struture of the hidden city suggest that people used the underground city to hide from danger.

• There are likely more underground cities in Turkey that have not yet been found.

• A man in Turkey discovered something surprising beneath his house.

In the future, other people may experience the same excitement that the homeowner and the construction workers felt. There already more than 30 known underground cities in the Cappadocia region, but experts believe there may be more than 200. So there are likely to be other hidden wonders, just waiting to be discovered.

What's the paragraph's main idea?

• There are likely to be many more underground cities in Turkey that have not yet been found.

• The structure of the hidden city suggests that people used the underground city to hide from danger.

• Workers found an underground city in Turkey that was bigger than Derinkuyu

• Scientists don't know how old the city is, but it seemed to have enough resources for its people.