The works carried out in collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Sarayönü Municipality in the underground city include a cistern that can meet the water needs of approximately 20 thousand people, workshops of various sizes, and spaces such as a large winery.
The number of identified locations in the spread of the underground city within an area of 20 thousand square meters has reached 41. Hasan Uğuz, Archaeologist and Excavation Director of Konya Museums Directorate, stated that they have been able to date the history of the underground city to the 8th century with the findings they have obtained.
Uğuz expressed that there are residential areas, connected galleries, room-like living spaces, water wells, cisterns, winery, ovens, workshops, chimneys, lamp locations for lighting, cellars, storage rooms, ventilations, and areas whose qualities are still under investigation in the underground city.
Uğuz, with the support of Konya Metropolitan Municipality, mentioned that they have expanded the ground-penetrating radar survey in the region and said, "We have identified a new underground city 1 kilometer north of the existing underground city. We have determined tunnel systems connecting these two underground cities. This indicates that the underground city will spread to a much larger area. In the new year, we will continue our ground-penetrating radar studies."
While cleaning the collapsed tunnels, Uğuz emphasized that they discovered a large cistern, stating that the cistern consists of a feeding well and three connected galleries. He said, "The cistern's width is 63 square meters. In the summer months, water accumulates here with a height of 1 meter 20 centimeters.
So, there is a 63 cubic meters water reserve here. We are calculating how many people can live in the underground city for how long without going outside and how many people the 63 cubic meters water reserve can be sufficient for. Together with the wells feeding the cistern, there is a water source for almost 20 thousand people. In other words, the cistern has enough water for an army. When we analyzed the water, we found that it is high-quality water for its period. The method of filtration through the soil and the storage method ensure this quality."
Uğuz mentioned that there are locking mechanisms with round stones for security purposes in the tunnels leading to the cistern, and he pointed out that the source is protected against the risk of poisoning by enemies and against rain during siege or crisis periods.
Regarding the area with a connection to the outside, closed with stone blocks and wooden flooring, Uğuz stated that they obtained findings that shed light on the agricultural activities of the region in ancient times. He said, "When we intensified our excavation and cleaning works, we determined that the workshop we found was a winery. There is a grape crushing place made of marble stones. There is a grooved place where grape juice flows and cubicles where it is stored. "
"We found grape seeds and sediments in the samples taken from the winery. We will have the analyses done in the new period. We hope to obtain an ancient seed from the grape seeds we found. If we come across a grape variety that grew in these lands a thousand years ago, it will crown our efforts. The discovery of both the cistern, fortified areas, and the winery reveals that this place has a much wider range of uses than our expectations."
