5 underground cities hidden underground

Underground cities have a raison d’être: in some cases they were created in the past as veritable climatic havens in extreme regions such as extreme cold or heatbut they also functioned as bunkers to protect the populace from invasions and wars.

With labyrinths of tunnels and usually using stone inside the Earth to build it, these places are mostly tourist attractions today.

Here are five cities hidden underground that you should know about:

City of Matmata, Tunisia.

Matmata is an underground city located in the south of Tunisia. the city was built by the Berbers over 3,000 years ago. These troglodyte houses were excavated with hand tools using the sandstone that makes up the mountains; soft to dig but strong to stand the test of time, making the whole process easy.

The buildings had an inner courtyard, around which rooms were built, with a kitchen and all the amenities for families to live. The premises are currently occupied by several hotels, and some of the families who continue to live on the site offer tours to visitors.

The city of Matmata, which attracts moviegoers, is known as one of the places where Star Wars was filmed. The underground hotel Sidi Driss served as the home of Luke Skywalker and his uncles in the film.

Coober Pedy, Australia

Coober Pedy is a mining town in South Australia.About 60% of the population takes shelter from high temperatures in underground structures.

These lands are home to the world’s largest opal mines and nearly two-thirds of them 3000 inhabitants They live off the tasks associated with mining activities.

During summers with scorching peaks of 50°C and winters of 2°C, these excavations maintain a constant temperature of 19°C to 24°C..

Derinkuyu, Türkiye

Derinkuyu (ancient city of Elengubu) giant citadel hidden from the eyes of the world, discovered in 1963, which can accommodate more than 20,000 residents for several months. The depth of the city was more than 85 meters, and about 20 levels of tunnels were discovered, as well as numerous entrances and exits leading to the outside. The experts calculated that He is over 3500 years old.

Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland

It is located in Wieliczka, about 15 kilometers from Krakow. Since their discovery in the 13th century to the present, these mines have been exploited and they are the setting for true works of art sculpted from salt. which made it worthy of inclusion since 1978 in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In the deepest region, they reach 327 meters, and the gallery of underground tunnels stretches for more than 300 kilometers. Because of the amazing religious buildings, it is also called the Underground Salt Cathedral of Poland.

Underground Montreal, Canada

This underground city began to be built in the 1960s according to the Montreal metro project. These facilities were intended to compensate for the lack of surface space and provide an alternative to the harsh winter weather in the region. The city is home to countless shops, restaurants, hotels and galleries. In addition, it connects to the subway network and many other land-based facilities such as malls, universities, housing estates, and hotels in Montreal.

Currently, RESO has about 120 entrances and over 32 kilometers of wide tunnels.. In its galleries, you will have access to impressive gardens and artificial lakes. In addition, about 60 residential and commercial complexes are spread over an area of ​​3.6 square kilometers.