Kaymakli is famous for its underground city, one of the few that are opened to the public. Many of these underground cities are guessed to be used since the Bronze Age. In the Byzantine period, increasing invasions forced local residents to build hiding places for protection and religious purposes.

The underground city of Kaymakli was a hideaway for the early Christians to escape the Persian and Arab armies in the 6th and 7th centuries. Sufficient air was supplied for thousands of inhabitants through the ventilation chimneys.

4 of the 8 storeys are opened for the tourists. I did not stay too long inside, as everyone had to crouch to about 5 feet tall to pass through the doorways. Some of us just backed out after the first section. As I passed through the street lined with souvenir shops on both sides, out of curiosity I made a turn to explore a little further. I found myself in a deserted area. A few minutes later another photographer from my group also reached this "newfoundland". We were so excited by what we saw. To us, this part of Kaymakli was as interesting as the underground city.