What kind of underground city is there in the world? Ancient underground cities

Throughout the history of the development of civilization, we have dug underground in search of a safe place: primitive dugouts of the past, medieval underground cities, modern bunkers - and mysterious megacities buried two hundred meters deep, where today only ghosts walk.

Petra

This is perhaps the most famous underground city in the world. Strictly speaking, formally Petra cannot be called underground, since its famous temples were carved by skilled architects right into the rock. The city was built at the intersection of caravan routes and flourished until the cunning Romans showed the local tribes more convenient and safe trade routes by water.

Derinkuyu

Naur

Wieliczka Salt Mine

Lalibela

Orvieto

Burlington

Underground Beijing

Underground city of Asgard, Peru

The Ganges River flows at the edge of the forest, and on its banks one can see massive dilapidated marble steps, which were supposedly intended for giants. For many miles the entire sandy shore is covered with bas-reliefs, idols, broken pedestals, and fragments of columns.

The architectural remains, the carving design, and the sheer size of the ruins represent something unexpected and grandiose even for those who visited Palmyra and Egyptian Memphis. It is completely unclear why these ruins have not yet been described or studied by anyone.

The underground city of Asgard is also located here. It is a labyrinth of secret passages. The characteristics of the moves are given in the description by E. Blavatsky. The tunnels are located at a depth of 14 feet, there are corridors five miles long that lead to living quarters carved into the rock.

In the very center of the underground city there is a huge cave with a small pond in the center and benches around. In the water stands a tall granite pillar with a thick rusty chain wrapped around it.

Metal underground library, Ecuador

A system of caves and tunnels under Peru and Ecuador houses an ancient treasure trove, including two libraries. One of them consists of metal books, and the other contains many crystal tables.

Erich von Daniken in 1973, enjoying the success of his book “Chariots of the Gods,” said that he had been in a giant tunnel system in Ecuador, which is rumored to cover the entire continent. And in the tunnels he visited the library, the books in which were made of metal. It is amazing that the library is located in an area where only Indian tribes now live, who do not speak any written language at all. It is possible that the metal books are evidence of a lost civilization.

Extensive network of tunnels, Los Angeles

The Hopi Indian tribe has legends that tell about lizard people. These creatures 5,000 years ago built three underground cities along the Pacific coast, one of which is located under modern Los Angeles.

Shelfeld, an engineer and geophysicist, decided in 1934 to check whether these cities actually existed. Using his patented device for detecting metals, he began his search. The result was impressive! Under the city he discovered an extensive network of tunnels. There is even a plan that was once published in the Los Angeles Times. Interestingly, Shufeld's device showed the presence of a huge amount of gold in rooms connected by tunnels.

The engineer was even able to obtain permission from the authorities to excavate. As soon as he began drilling the mine, authorities became concerned about the threat of a collapse and the condition of nearby houses. The work was immediately interrupted and was not resumed. Shufeld disappeared from public view, never to appear again. His further fate remains unknown.

Incredible facts

Many people have heard that people sometimes go to live in caves, abandoned mines or underground tunnels. In the literature you can often find stories about dungeon people. However, underground cities do not only exist in novels and films. They are very real.

Underground cities were built primarily for protection from enemies, wild animals, weather conditions, and even for conducting illegal activities. find out about the most interesting underground cities in the world and interesting facts related to them.

1) Secret underground city in Beijing, China

Since 1969 and over the next decade by order Mao Tse-tung In Beijing, they began to build an underground emergency shelter for the government. This shelter stretches for a distance near Beijing 30 kilometers. The gigantic city was built during the Sino-Soviet split, and its sole purpose was protect yourself in case of war.

Entrance to Beijing Underground City

This underground city contained shops, restaurants, schools, theaters, hairdressers and even a roller skating rink. In the city one could also find about thousands of bomb shelters, and it could simultaneously accommodate up to 40 percent residents of Beijing in case of war.

Tourists roam Beijing's underground streets today

There were rumors that houses in Beijing had secret hatches, which allowed residents to quickly descend into this underground complex in case of danger. In 2000, the giant underground city was officially opened to tourists, and some of its shelters are used as youth camps.

2) Putin's underground city Yamantau, Russia

Close to the ski resort "Abzakovo", 60 kilometers from Magnitogorsk, which is in the south of the Urals, according to some sources, is located secret underground city for members of the Russian government. The secret base is covered in many rumors and assumptions, including saying that this facility began to be built during the Cold War.

Ski resort "Abzakovo", Southern Urals, Russia

President Putin visits a ski resort "Abzakovo" quite often, but he never answered questions about why this particular place attracts the president so much. Rumors spread that it was not skiing that was the main reason for coming, but construction of a secret underground city on Mount Yamantau.

Mount Yamantau in Bashkortostan

They started talking about the city again in the 1990s in the American and other foreign press. Foreign journalists tried to find out at least some details from the officials, but their attempts were unsuccessful. It is very likely that the articles themselves were based more on rumors than on real facts.

3) Underground city near Moscow, Russia

Everyone knows that Moscow is all cut up underground tunnels, passages and subway buildings, which in Soviet times was considered the most beautiful, fastest and largest metro in the world. Today a lot has changed, but people still talk about mysteries of the underground city near Moscow- a series of underground bunkers built back in Soviet times, and maybe even earlier.

"Secret Subway" Moscow does exist and is intended primarily for military and government members in case of nuclear war or other dangerous situations. Secret lines connect major government facilities, including the Kremlin, the building of the Ministry of Defense and so on.

The secret metro lines, according to some very curious researchers of this issue, no different from the main lines. Why not connect some of these lines to the main lines, given how busy the Moscow metro is today? Apparently, there are reasons for this, and the underground city is waiting in the wings.

4) Rock town Setenil de las Bodegas, Spain

Unlike many other underground cities, this city in Spain lives a full life and accommodates about 3 thousand inhabitants. Some houses in this city are not completely underground, but carved into the rock, which makes the city landscapes especially unusual. The houses seem to be sunk in stones.

Thanks to such unusual buildings, the town attracts many tourists who come here to see unique cave houses. In ancient times, the city served as a fortress.

5) Cave city Chufut-Kale, Crimea

This cave city, located in Crimea, was built back in the early Middle Ages, and although most of it turned into ruins, some ancient buildings still remained: caves, the mausoleum of the daughter of Khan Tokhtamysh, gates and others.

Entrances to the underground dwellings of the ghost town of Chufut-Kale

Initially they lived in the city Alans- Iranian-speaking tribes, later moved here Cumans, A in the 14th century they started flocking here Karaites, and by the time the Crimean Khanate was formed, most likely, they were the main inhabitants. At one time, the Khan of independent Crimea even lived permanently in Chufut-Kale. At the end of the 19th century the city was completely abandoned by its inhabitants.

6) Secret cellars of Moose Jaw gangsters, Canada

Underground cities were sometimes built not at all for protection during military conflicts, but for protection during harsh weather conditions. For example, the city of Moose Jaw in central Canada has a series of tunnels and underpasses that were built to keep workers warm. However, these underground premises very soon after construction began to be used for illegal purposes.

The Moose Jaw Tunnels are a favorite criminals, smugglers and bandits during Prohibition in the USA. The underground city turned into a mini Las Vegas and sheltered illegal establishments where casinos and prostitution flourished. They say that Chicago gangster Al Capone had a connection with these basements, so they began to be called "Chicago Connection".

Today, the Chicago Connection is a museum with an armory, a wine cellar and many interesting things from the times of the gangsters.

7) Mysterious City of the Gods in Egypt

Great Pyramids of Giza- the only one of the wonders of the ancient world that has come down to us. Many researchers believe that under the Giza plateau there is something incredible, namely a series of underground tunnels and chambers.

Beginning since 1978, researchers have begun to map the outline of a massive underground complex that could potentially be a massive underground city.

Known as "City of the Gods", this city still hides many secrets. Since it is located directly under one of the most important historical monuments in the world, the integrity of which no one will disturb, It is unlikely that these secrets will be easily revealed in the near future.

Opponents of the theory about the City of the Gods are convinced that there is no underground city under the pyramids, and the story about it was invented, to attract more tourists.

8) Underground Gem City Coober Pedy, Australia

Coober Pedy- a city that is still inhabited. It is located in the desert part of central Australia and is home to about 1600 inhabitants. The city is considered "the capital of disgrace", since more of this semi-precious stone is mined here than anywhere else on the planet.

Entrance to the Coober Pedy Dungeon: It's Hard to Imagine What's Hidden Underground

The city is located underground houses - dugouts, which were dug to protect themselves from the scorching desert sun, as well as to protect children from wild dingoes and local aborigines.

Opal deposits were first discovered in Coober Pedy in 1915, since then these places have been inhabited by gem hunters. If you have opal jewelry, there is every chance that this the stone was brought from Australia, or rather, from the mines of Coober Pedy. Underground you can find not only the homes of local residents, but also restaurants, shops and even a church and a cemetery!

9) Island city with underground restaurants Kish, Iran

In the dungeon Kish city in Iran hides a mysterious city that is so shrouded in mystery that it doesn't even have an official name. Some people call this city Kariz, however, tourists more often call it the Underground City of Kish. The underground premises have a total area of ​​about 10 thousand square meters.

This dungeon is more than 2.5 thousand years old and was originally used as reservoir and water supply system. Like many other ancient cities, this city has been renovated and turned into a tourist attraction. Today you can find cozy underground restaurants, shops and other establishments here.

10) Burlington Underground Bunker, England

There is also a secret underground city in England, it is called Burlington. This city was built in the 1950s for the British government to provide shelter in the event of nuclear war. The dungeon is not very large - only a thousand square meters, but it could easily accommodate about 4 thousand people.

The city had underground highways, railway stations, hospitals and even an underground lake for storing drinking water. There was also a BBC station in the city so the Prime Minister could address those left at the top. Burlington is on standby right up to before 1991, after which the Cold War was over.

Which city has an underground tram?

Underground cities and tunnels can be run by underground transport, in particular trams and trolleybuses, and not just metro trains. There are underground trams in many cities, for example:

Krivoy Rog, Ukraine

High-speed underground tram in Volgograd, Russia

It is known that many Russian rich people build entire underground bunkers in addition to above-ground dwellings, mainly for personal safety

Plan of underground Moscow. Soon the main Russian city will grow not up, but down

In Yakutia (Eastern Siberia), on the site of a man-made mine crater, they want to build an underground city Eco-City 2020 with a capacity of 100 thousand people

Beijing is one of the unique cities on our planet. It is striking in everything from medieval buildings, with its history dating back centuries, and the architecture of a modern metropolis. However, hardly anyone knows that with all this external splendor, such as the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City or the famous Tiananmen Square, there is another Beijing, unknown to anyone and invisible to the eye, this is Beijing - underground (website).

The underground city (Dixia Cheng) appeared relatively recently, in the 70s of the twentieth century. Its appearance is connected with the same notorious Cold War. Relations with the USSR had reached a critical point, and China was seriously afraid of a nuclear strike from its all-powerful neighbor. Then the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, Mao Zedong, decided to build an underground city, where, in the event of an attack, almost the entire population of Beijing could take refuge.

The project for the construction of the city was developed back in the 60s of the twentieth century and after its approval in record time, almost under the center of Beijing, on a total area of ​​more than 80 square kilometers, a city arose where, in fairly comfortable conditions, about 800 thousand Beijing residents could be accommodated.

This city is not just a temporary bomb shelter, it has all the infrastructure inherent in cities: streets, residential areas, places where troops and equipment are stationed; schools, hospitals, theaters, cinemas, cafes, markets, farms for growing animals, mushrooms and plants; food storage facilities and even sports facilities. A system of wells has been installed along the perimeter of the entire city, providing the population of the city with water; a specially designed ventilation system is impenetrable to radioactive and chemical waste.

Massive cement concrete walls and doors can withstand not only a nuclear strike, but also protect against earthquakes and floods. It is not known exactly how many floors deep the city is built, since the Chinese government has not made this information public.

In early 2000, at the end of the Cold War, the PRC leadership opened access to a small part of the city, allowing limited access for tourists. According to the reviews and descriptions of the first tourists, they were amazed by the scale of the buildings of the underground city. However, from 2008 to the present, the Beijing underground was officially closed by the authorities for reconstruction. Beijing is a modern metropolis with an acute problem and local disadvantaged residents have arbitrarily occupied some underground bunkers. Currently, this structure is the largest known modern underground city.

Humanity has been building underground cities long before our era. With the outbreak of the First World War, the construction of underground cities for fortification purposes acquired a new scope. It is known that on the territory of the former USSR there were more than 2 thousand underground settlements, some of them were built by our ancestors BC.

Catacomb settlements can be found all over the world. There are them in Paris, Rome, Cappadocia and other cities of the world. Each such underground structure contains many secrets and mysteries, but not every one is able to withstand the destructive blow it was created to inflict.

The construction of underground cities in case of emergency was carried out under the heading “secret”. Not every participant in this construction knew how to keep state secrets as they should be, and information about such structures went to the masses, becoming overgrown with myths and legends.

Mysterious underground cities of Russia

Many people know where exactly the underground cities are located only by the name of the area and rumors. Some walk over them every day and don’t even realize it. Only those who have access to state secrets, live, work or guard them know how to get into the underground city. The entrance to such a city can be inside any ordinary city building.

All secret underground cities are supervised by the FSB of the Russian Federation and the Main Directorate of the Russian Presidential Intelligence Service. Conversations about them began to be widely discussed in the early 90s of the last century. This was preceded by the declassification of some KGB archives.

Underground city in Ramenki

One of these mysterious underground cities is located in one of the capital's districts - Ramenki. It is believed that a city was built under them in case the Third World War broke out, designed for 12-15 thousand people. It is completely autonomous. It has its own power supply, sewerage, water and air supply systems. The location of the underground city is determined between Moscow State University and Udaltsova Street. This area of ​​the capital has not been built up for a long time.

The underground city in Ramenki is associated with the mysterious Moscow Metro-2, which is sometimes called Stalin’s subway. It was built in parallel with the existing metro of the capital. Articles have repeatedly appeared in the media that the depth of underground Moscow buildings, which could become a shelter from the outbreak of the Third World War, can reach 300 meters.

You can get to the underground city from the existing Moscow metro, which was built with the possibility of being used as a bomb shelter for residents and guests of the capital. There is an opinion that there are other ways to get into the city. This can be done from one of the buildings of Moscow State University, the Rossiya Hotel, the Kremlin and other places. In Ramenki themselves there are elevator shafts for descending deep into the earth.

In the event, this underground city can be used as a command post. It has underground connections to Vnukovo airport and other strategic sites.

Secret cities in Russia

In modern Russia there are cities and closed-type industries. They are under the jurisdiction and control of the Russian Ministry of Defense. All of them have a ground and underground part, which can go deep into the ground significantly below 10 floors. All such buildings are autonomous and have food and water supplies for at least three months. They are scattered throughout the country, but it is impossible to find them on maps until the special secrecy label is removed from them. Instead of a name, they have a letter. An example is the well-known, declassified city of Arzamas 16.

For a very long time it was impossible to find it on the map of the country in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Now the general public knows how. Near this closed city there is a place sacred to many believers - Diveevo. The local monastery houses the relics of Seraphim of Sarov, and Orthodox people from all over the world come to touch them. Despite the large number of tourists, not a single stranger can get past the Sarov checkpoint, and one can only guess about the depth of the underground buildings and their reliability.

There are 32 such closed cities in Russia. Most of them are located in the Moscow region, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Chelyabinsk Region and the Ural region. The most famous of them are Zarechny in the Penza region, Lesnoy in the Sverdlovsk region on the banks of the Tura, Zheleznogorsk and Zelenogorsk in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Underground city Yamantau

Sixty kilometers from Magnitogorsk is the Abzakovo mountain resort. In the media of many countries around the world you can find articles about this remarkable place. This is due to rumors that next to this resort in Mount Yamantau there is an underground city - the secret residence of Putin and a military headquarters in the event of World War III.

For the first time, such a well-known American publication as the New York Times wrote about this secret residence of the Russian Government. This happened in April 1996. The construction of the city itself has been rumored since the Cold War. From Beloretsk, a railway and a highway are connected to Yamantau, the top of the mountain is carefully guarded. Any nuclear weapon will not be able to destroy the strength of the shelter structure.

The official status of Yamantau is a repository of state values. Very often, the Abzakovo mountain resort is visited by Putin. This gives rise to speculation about the President's secret bunker in case of nuclear war.

Where will the Chinese government hide from a nuclear attack?

In 1969, Mao Tse-tung ordered the creation of a reliable underground bunker for the Government. The Third World War, in the Chinese understanding, is inevitable. It is very important to preserve leadership of the army and the country as much as possible in the event of use by the aggressor. Beijing was chosen to build such a shelter. The length of the government bunker underground is 30 kilometers. It's practically a city within a city. It has shops, schools and even an ice skating rink. There are quite a lot of similar bunkers in Beijing. 40% of the population of the Chinese capital will be able to escape in them if nuclear weapons are used.

In addition to the Beijing bunker, a network of secret tunnels has been created in the Celestial Empire, which has been called the “Great Underground Wall of China.” The tunnels are connected to underground facilities where nuclear weapons are stored. They are located in the Urumqi region - in the direction of Russia, next to the Korean Peninsula - opposite Vietnam, India and Taiwan.

Where did the Americans build underground cities?

You can even find a well-equipped bomb shelter in the USA in the courtyard of a private house. The fear of World War III has lived in Americans since the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis and Khrushchev’s promise to show them Kuzka’s mother. The FSB probably knows where the American government will be hiding. Ordinary people can only guess. A large number of articles have appeared in the media over the past few years about underground construction in the Denver Airport area. Many journalists describe the pace of construction of the facility as feverish. Construction of the facility began back in the 50s.

Underground sites in the United States can be found in Mount Cheyenne, Colorado, in Virginia - the Greenbrier Bunker and Mount Weather, Massachusetts - Iron Mountain, Pennsylvania-Maryland - the Raven Rock mountain complex. All these shelters in the event of a nuclear war will be used by the American elites to save their lives. There is also a deep underground base at a US Air Force facility called Area 51, which became famous after the Rosewell UFO incident.

Underground Crimea

There are quite a lot of catacombs on the territory of the peninsula, which played the role of a reliable shelter during the Second World War. While part of Ukraine, many secret underground facilities were declassified and lost their strategic relevance. Among such objects is underground command post No. 221 near Sevastopol. At Cape Ak-Burun there is object No. 100 - an underground shelter for coastal ships. Between Sevastopol and Yalta there is the “Barrel of Death” and the concrete casemates of the Southern Fort of Balaklava.

Between Sudak and Feodosia there is underground facility No. 76. During Soviet times, nuclear weapons were stored there.

Secret underground cities of the world

There are secret underground cities or bunkers in all the capitals of nuclear powers. All of them are equipped with systems for autonomous power supply, communications, water supply, air supply, sewage system and food and water supplies. Information about the presence of such facilities in any country in the world is secret. The protection of such objects is carried out by the internal security services of the state.

There is a high probability that in the event of the outbreak of the Third World War, underground cities will become the only objects in which humanity is possible. After all, a series of nuclear bombings will lead to such an effect as a nuclear winter, which will provoke a number of natural disasters, starting with earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, ending with large-scale tsunamis and, as a result, floods.

After the Earth's atmosphere ends and becomes unsuitable for human habitation, contaminated air and radioactive ash will cover the entire planet. Even those people who do not fall into the bombing zones will one way or another be doomed to a slow death. Take care of the lives of yourself and your loved ones; if you do not belong to the scientific, military or political elite of the country, you still have a chance to find refuge in one of the civilian bomb shelters that are available in almost every city. Civilian objects are not classified as classified; a list can be provided to you at the regional Ministry of Emergency Situations.