7 (More!) Underground Wonders of the World: Lost Caverns and Buried Cities
The world is full of wonders, from abandoned towns and deserted settlements to underwater cities and underground architecture.
Humans burrow into the Earth out of anything from necessity to
superstition, driven by coincidence or coerced by circumstance. Without
further ado, here are seven more underground wonders of the world.
Kapadokya, Turkey
is home to hundreds of linked rooms that, together, form an ancient
system of underground cities over 2,500 years old. Areas are separated
by narrow corridors lit once lit by oil lamps as well as other
architectural devices for maximizing the defensibility of the spaces.
Settlement initially started on the surface, then slowly moved
underground over time.
Pembrokeshire, Wales
is home to a family with a house straight out of The Hobbit. This
amazing architectural wonder is created virtually completely from the
natural materials found around the residence. The walls are made out of
stone and mud and water enters the house by gravity from a nearby
spring. Non-natural materials, such as windows and plumbing, were
recovered from trash.
Edinburgh, Scotland
has a long and strange history, though perhaps the oddest story of all
is the tale of a bridge that was buried underground. After this bridge
was built, superstition following a prominent death led to its disuse.
As property values in the area grew, however, people first built under
and then even on top of the bridge. Eventually leaks forced the
abandonment of the spaces below, which were subsequently filled in.
They were recently rediscovered and opened for tourists!
Tokyo, Japan
is at the heart of a strange and gripping mystery involving seven
riddles and a supposed secret underground city. It all began when
Japanese researcher Shun Akiba found an old map of the Tokyo tunnel
system that didn’t match current maps. Since then, he has found six
other strange inconsistencies in historical maps and other records that
suggest the existence hidden spaces. His claims have been vehemently
denied by the Japanese government.
Seattle, Washington’s
Pioneer Square district has a very peculiar historical quirk: a century
ago, they raised the streets by an entire floor. People actually died
falling off of the street to the lower sidewalks below before they
managed to raise the sidewalks to the same level. Eventually, what was
street level became completely unused and abandoned, though it was
recently reopened for visitors.
Wieliczka, Poland
sits atop one of the world’s oldest salt mines, in continuous operation
for over 800 years until just this year. As these images show, the mine
is now open to tourists, with winding paths and bridges as well as art,
much of which is carved right out of the salt in the mine. Over 1,000
feet deep, the mine even housed an airplane factory run by the Polish
resistance during the 2nd World War.
Xi’an, China
is now famous for featuring the Mausoleum of Qinshihuang, the biggest
imperial tomb known to Chinese history. This subterranean wonder was
constructed in 38 years by 700,000 laborers, and is perhaps best known
for the host of terracotta warriors buried with the Emporer. During
the process numerous world-shocking relics were brought out, but this
is just the tip of the iceberg, and more treasures remain buried in the
underground palace.
Bizarre Underground Conspiracy Theory - Honorable Mention:
Denver, Colorado
has an impressively large airport, and, some believe, an even more
impressive series of underground tunnels. If they exist, these tunnels
are (it is largely agreed) not home to aliens or fascists. A number of
mysterious construction choices, murals and other objects have led some
to theorize that such tunnels might be home to anything from a secret
military base to a Masonic Temple.
