Saratlı Kırkgöz Underground City

Saratlı is a small town in Aksaray’s Gülağaç district, about 31 km from the provincial centre. Beneath it lies an underground settlement known as “Kırkgöz” (“forty eyes”), carved into the soft tuff layers of Cappadocia.

A smaller and quieter cousin of Cappadocia’s famous underground cities such as Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı, Saratlı is a good alternative for visitors looking for an experience away from the crowds.

Why were underground cities built?

Carving underground spaces was possible in Cappadocia thanks to the region’s easily worked volcanic tuff. Such settlements are believed to have been enlarged as refuges from raids, especially during the Arab–Byzantine wars (7th–10th centuries), and used to protect crops and animals. Similar, smaller refuges can be seen at Çanlı Kilise.

Saratlı’s known past is tied to the caravan roads too: in the 17th century Evliya Çelebi wrote that, travelling from Aksaray to Kayseri, he reached Saratlı village after one stage. The town has carried the same name since 1919 and became a municipality in 1992.

What to see

The underground settlement consists of rooms, storage niches and ventilation shafts linked by narrow, low passages. A signposted route guides visitors through it.

• Rooms and storage niches carved into tuff
• Narrow galleries where you need to stoop
• Ventilation and light shafts

Getting there from Neva Apart

Neva Apart is in Aksaray city centre, a few minutes’ walk from the Zinciriye Madrasa and the Grand Mosque; the distances below are measured from our aparthotel.

Saratlı is about 31 km from Neva Apart, a 30–35-minute drive. Seljuk caravanserais such as Öresin Han and Ağzıkarahan are along the way.

Tips for your visit

Passages are narrow and low; visitors with claustrophobia or back and knee problems should take care. It stays cool underground all year, so a light jumper helps even in summer.

Opening hours and admission fees change seasonally; please check the official sources of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism (muze.gov.tr, kulturportali.gov.tr) before you set off.

Other places nearby

• Öresin Han (Tepesi Delik Han) – A small, austere Seljuk caravanserai on the Aksaray–Nevşehir road, with no courtyard, nicknamed “Tepesi Delik Han” — the inn with a hole in its top.
• Ağzıkarahan Caravanserai – Built in 1231–1240 for Mes’ud son of Abdullah, with a richly carved portal and a kiosk mosque on four piers — a Seljuk inn on UNESCO’s tentative list.
• Alay Han – Attributed to Sultan Kılıç Arslan II, said to be among Anatolia’s first caravanserais, known in Seljuk times as the Pervane Ribatı and restored with its muqarnas portal.
• Aşıklı Höyük – Central Anatolia’s first known village, lived in by 30–35 generations between 8200 and 7400 BC: early farming, terraced mud-brick houses and the earliest known brain surgery.

Sources

• Vikipedi – Saratlı, Gülağaç

Image credits

• Passage carved into tuff in the Saratlı Kırkgöz underground city – János Korom Dr., CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
• Rock-cut room in the Saratlı underground city – János Korom Dr., CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons