Mazi (Mataza) Village in Derinkuyu Cappadocia

Mazi (Mataza) Village in Derinkuyu Cappadocia,

Mazi (Mataza) Village:
One of the places that are not in opened to tourism and that is not in enlighted in the Cappadocia region is the Mazi Village. If you go 7-8 km east from Kaymakli, you will come to a village established within a stream. The interesting places in this village are old graves carved into high rocks, chapels, and churches of different structure and the underground city.
These graves were made in three different forms. Four of these have columns and are very interesting. Some have no columns and the inner parts in which the deceased were put are the same. There are about thirty graves altogether with and without pillars. The other graves on the plain over the rocks reach thousands in number. Although there were many churches and chapels on the rocks over the village and at the region of B4irsak Stream, some of these were demolished and filled with earth. But a church carved in the rocks at the south of the village still remains clean and solid. This church has a pillar in the center, a big apsis on the left part at the entrance and two ceilings in the shape of an arch. A big cross can be seen on each side of the apsis. There is a similar cross on the front side of the pillar in the center. In the wide part looking North, there is a design of small crosses attached to each other.
The underground city in the village can be entered through a hollow in a rock going from east to west. The real entrance door has not been found because high rocks fell from their places and the real entrance door disappeared. Although the fallen rocks opened new entrances these entrances are very high. It is very difficult to determine the layers of the underground city which is still very difficult to visit because some of its parts were demolished and some were filled with earth. Mazi Village of Derinkuyu is one of our historical places that should be opened to tourism and enlightened Unfortunately in its present state, it is just like a ruin.