Do We Know What We Think We Know About ... - TheUFOStore.com

ALTERNATIVE SCIENCE
• BY ROBERT M. SCHOCH, Ph.D.
Imagine this: Aerial bombardments
raining down havoc on humans and
beasts alike, setting wildfires and incinerating
everything that is flammable. The
intense heat is great enough in some cases to
literally melt surface rocks which, once they
cool, form a crude vesicular glass in a process
known as vitrification. Elevated radiation levels
are so high that a few day’s exposure is lethal.
The only realistic safe haven, the only place to
flee, is deep underground in an intricate maze
of subterranean passageways and rooms.
Perhaps this sounds like a scene out of a
Cold War scenario where something went terribly
wrong, resulting in a nuclear attack. However,
this is not fantasy, but a realistic account
of what may have occurred thousands of years
ago. To piece together precisely the history of
the remote past, we need to examine multiple
lines of evidence around the world. One key
piece of the puzzle is found in central Turkey,
in the region known as Cappadocia.
Having just returned from leading an archaeological
tour to Turkey (June 2012), which
included several days in Cappadocia, I can report
that this is a strange and hauntingly beautiful
land. Formed of volcanic rocks (tuffs or
tufa) spewed out millions of years ago by local
volcanoes, the terrain has eroded into an incredible
topography consisting of steep valleys,
ridges, and odd formations including columns
often topped with harder rock, known colloquially
as “fairy chimneys.” What is more, the volcanic
tuffs are relatively easily dug into, carved,
and excavated; this has served the people of the
region well—and I believe has saved many a life
when catastrophe hit. It can be argued that this
was one of the outposts or refuges that allowed
humanity to survive and reemerge, literally,
from below the ground. For in Cappadocia are
found not just dwellings and churches carved
into the sides of hills and rock cliffs, but entire
ancient underground cities.
Over 200 underground cities are reported in
Cappadocia; most have not been adequately explored,
and it seems certain that many more
wait to be discovered. Two of the best known
are Kaymakli and Derinkuyu, portions of which
are open to the public. To this day nobody
really knows the true extent of these or other
underground cities of the area, but they were
substantial. Kaymakli consists of at least eight
floors or underground stories (only four of
which are currently accessible), each extending
in a labyrinthine manner over a vast area. The
city may have supported a population of 3000
to 4000 people plus farm animals and supplies,
all housed underground. Derinkuyu, with an estimated
20 floors and extending an estimated
85 meters (280 feet) below the surface, may
Continued on Page 60
24 ATLANTIS ATLANTIS RISING RISING • Number 95
Rock formations known as “fairy chimneys,” Cappadocia. (Photos by Robert Schoch)
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Room in Kaymakli.
Narrow
passageway in the
underground city of
Kaymakli
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Interior area in Kaymakli.