Tales of the most mysterious cities in world history still makes the public shock due to their intricate roots as well as inexplicable events of construction. Have you ever wondered the true reasons why the ancients constructed the underground masterpieces? Was it for money, power, spirituality, or self-defend?
The undercover cities have been exceptionally famous for their special structures and unique meanings for decades. In addition, they are also stereotyped as the haunted places where ghosts appear regularly. What do you think? Anyway, it is very rare to find the ancient underground cities of the world. Hence, the restless fascination with them still persists in the modern time. Today, let’s draw your attention to the world’s 3 top great underground cities in history that embrace the wisdom of the antiquity and interesting stories.
Portland, Oregon, USA – Shanghai Tunnels
The Shanghai Tunnels or less commonly termed as the Portland Underground were the group of passages traveling below the Old Town (or Chinatown) towards the central downtown of Portland, Oregon, United States. Connecting the basements of many hotels and bars at the downtown to the waterfront of Willamette River, the underground structure was built to deliver goods from the ships landed on the Willamette to the storage .
area of basement. Thanks to the Tunnels, businesses could avoid traffic jam on street of cars or trains when transporting their goods. As time passes, the Portland Underground housed many illegal activities like kidnapping, so it was negatively called as the Forbidden City. Luckily, the modern Tunnels now are open to travelers with the safe pathway. Of course, every tourist can walk through the passages safely while listening to some bits of history without any fear of being shanghaied!
Secret English City, Burlington, England
Ever watched any British film in which the characters can live in a secret location to avoid catastrophe? In fact, the British actually have the underground spot. It was Burlington complex structure built in the 1950s that served as the safe house for government officials in case of nuclear war or other disasters. Being made from bomb-proof and radiation-proof, the masterpiece secured your live safely from the penetration of any toxic gas.
Conveniently, underground Burlington City consisted of offices, storeroom, laundry, cafes, hospital, telephone exchange, and lake with fresh water. Notice that the beneath structure was linked to the major London and Bristol rail network! Purposefully, the Royalty could access the secret city quicker than anyone else. It was not until 2014 that the whole structure was made open to the public.
Subterranean City in Cappadocia, Turkey
The subterranean city in Cappadocia has its roots in the 7th – 8th centuries BCE. Based on records of the Turkish Department of Culture, the masterpiece was first constructed in the volcanic rock by the Phrygians and was later developed openly during the era of the Byzantine. Aim to provide the residents with the safe and comfortable dwelling, the underground city included multilevel space that was about 60 meters in depth and housed up to 20,000
citizens with food supply and facilities. Offering the life necessity for the specific number of inhabitants such as schools, learning rooms, churches, tombs, etc., the ancient Cappadocia underground city was worth praising for its worldwide orientation. At present, the tourists are welcomed to visit the 4 floors in this magnetic structure whereas the 4 other floors remains closed.
It will never be redundant to study and explore the stories as well as mysteries about the underground cities from the tunnel system to the centre of commerce. Visitors of all kinds (tourists, historians, or researchers) are all invited to explore every piece about the underground masterpieces from material to architectural aspects.