Istanbul, for which many wars have been fought throughout history, literally keeps another city alive. Almost every street has galleries, tunnels and dungeons stretching hundreds of meters below the ground. Some of these are structures that were built on them because they got old over time. However, some of them were made with different intentions in history. Just like the underground cities and the tunnels connecting them in many parts of Anatolia, it is full of secrets. Like their counterparts in other regions, they are part of an underground network.
According to the legend; The inhabitants of Istanbul in 667 BC found entrances similar to rabbit holes and surprisingly noticed that these entrances were extended by underground tunnels. Over time, the Roman Empire developed these tunnels and established a different network system. They have kept the secret of the tunnels from all humanity until today.
Istanbul Vulture Dome
In the legend of the Vulture Dome, it is said that there is a universal clock that has flown since the beginning of the world and that measures time, and that this is hidden in the depths of Istanbul. No one knows where the dome is. There are different rumors that it is in Rumelihisarı and has a connection with Hagia Sophia. It is said that before the Turks conquered Istanbul, the entrances of the Akbabalı dome were hidden by the Greeks. Although the Ottomans searched for it for many years, they could not find its place.
Passage Under the Maiden’s Tower
It is said that this passage starts from a secret entrance of the Basilica Cistern, proceeds along the Bosphorus and reaches the Maiden’s Tower. It is claimed that it extends from the Maiden’s Tower to other underground cities of Anatolia. Many archaeologists have worked from time to time to find this passage under the Maiden’s Tower. However, due to the fact that thousands of years have passed and the building has not been able to withstand the accidents over time, it has not been possible to examine it much.
Anemas Dungeons
It is said that Anemas Dungeons got its name from Mikhael Anemas, a Roman soldier of Arab origin. The dungeon is part of the Blakhernai palace complex, one of the Tekfur palaces. underground dungeon from the Roman period; It is a very creepy place with underground tunnels, labyrinth cisterns and narrow torture chambers. There are torture pits called “40 rooms” inside the dungeon. In these pits, which are quite deep, the prisoner is kept in them until he dies.
Cemberlitas
Çemberlitaş is a monument built by Emperor Constantine in his name. For this reason, its name is also referred to as the “Column of Constantine”. According to the legend, Emperor Constantine placed the holy relics in a room under the Circle stone. Among the holy relics, the dress of the Virgin Mary, the head of John the Baptist, the wooden statue of the goddess Pallas Athens, the scepter of Noah, the Prophet. There are sacred treasures such as the stone of Moses.
Dog Killer Channel
It is said that this canal starts from a secret part of the Basilica Cistern, proceeds in the northeast direction, and passes under the sea from where the strait opens to the Marmara Sea. The canal, which passes under the sea, continues on the Üsküdar-Kadıköy coasts in a straight line, curving to the southeast after Üsküdar. It is said that the channel that goes on like this ends in the monastery on Kınalı Island.
A Second Underground City
The data obtained from the studies carried out by different scientists indicate that there is an underground structure from Sultanahmet to Ayvan Saray. The discovery of a series of underground spaces that seem to be connected with the corridors extending from the garden of Hagia Sophia to the hippodrome area or the old palace confirms this legend. Since there is too much construction in the region, it is not possible to conduct sufficient underground investigations. However, what has come out so far proves that there is a huge underground city that deliberately stretches out.
There is a strong belief that the obelisks symbolize the underground map that started in Istanbul and spread to the entire Roman Empire, in short, to Europe and Anatolia. So much so that, according to an archaeologist, the phrase “all roads lead to Rome” was said at the point where the Obelisks are located and describes a large underground network.
An entire city was already built underground thousands of years ago, even before the Roman Empire. Some of them are revealed from time to time. The strange thing is that all the tunnels extend to other underground cities in Anatolia. It has not been clarified at all for what technology and purpose the Anatolian underground cities, whose history dates back to 4000 BC, were built at that time. It is thought that the underground network in Europe, which dates back to 12 thousand years ago, meets those in Turkey.
