“Secrets of the Ages: Discover the Massive Underground City Hidden Beneath Historic Central Iran!”
Beneath the sun-baked earth of Abarkuh, Iran, lies a hidden marvel that could make even the coolest ice sculpture blush with envy. Picture a vast underground city, much like an ancient speakeasy for thirsty desert dwellers, where aqueducts not only ferry water but also serve as cool retreats from the scorching summer heat. Yes, scientists and historians have unearthed a subterranean settlement so expansive, it raises the question: how did these ancient builders manage to engineer such marvels without the luxury of modern technology? This newly discovered city, concealed beneath five unsuspecting houses, was a sanctuary during conflicts and a clever way to manage water in a parched environment. So, prepare to dive into the depths of history and get ready to explore a world that thrived below the surface! If you’re curious to learn more about this fascinating find, LEARN MORE.
This enormous “subterranean settlement” was equipped with an aqueduct designed not only to store and transport water, but also to cool these underground chambers so they could serve as a refuge from the summer heat.
IRNAInside the underground tunnels discovered beneath Abarkuh, Iran.
Archaeologists and historians have always known that Abarkuh, Iran, was an important historical city. Situated within the “golden triangle” of Shiraz, Yazd, and Isfahan, it functioned as a settlement for centuries. But now, the discovery of an “underground city” in Abarkuh has caught many by surprise.
Uncovered beneath five houses in Abarkuh, this subterranean city was used to transport the local water supply, stay cool in the summer, and serve as a haven during war and invasion.
Discovering The Underground City Beneath Abarkuh, Iran
IRNAA look inside one of the underground tunnels, which were initially discovered beneath five houses in Abarkuh.
According to Iranian media, the underground city was found under five houses in Abarkuh, when stone chambers were detected under gardens.
“The spaces between these stone beds were turned into gardens by the ancients, and they had foreseen paths under these stone sections for ease of access, security, water transportation, and their lives,” Hossein Hatami, the governor of Abarkuh, explained in an interview. “[T]he presence of small stone chambers in the historical houses of Abarkuh, located under the stone bed, indicates their special function in the past.”
IRNAThe underground city spans 650,000 square feet, but may extend much further throughout the entire city.
The investigation of these stone chambers led to the “discovery of an underground settlement.” What’s more, researchers think that it could extend beneath other neighborhoods — if not the entirety of Abarkuh.
“Given the possibility that there are more examples of this underground complex in other neighborhoods and perhaps throughout the entire historical context of Abarkuh,” Hatami said, “research is continuing.”
For now, researchers believe that the tunnels may have been built by the Qajar people, as stones used in its construction are the same kind of stones found in the city’s Qajar buildings. The Qajar were a tribe that began to spread in the 10th and 11th century, and eventually led to Iran’s Qajar dynasty in the 18th through 20th centuries.
How Abarkuh’s Underground City Was Once Used
As Hatami told Iranian media, it appears that the underground city in Abarkuh likely served multiple different purposes in centuries past. But initially, the tunnels served as an aqueduct for the city.
“The tunnels in Abarkuh… were primarily built for water management, specifically for the qanat [underground canal] system,” Irina Tsukerman, a geopolitical analyst and the president of Scarab Rising, who has written about the Qajars for Modern Diplomacy, told All That’s Interesting. “These tunnels were used to transport water from underground aquifers to the surface for irrigation, drinking, and other uses in the arid region.”
IRNAWalking through the tunnels of Abarkuh, which once likely served as both an aqueduct and a refuge from scorching temperatures above round.
Because Abarkuh is located in the desert, tunnels like these were crucial.
“The tunnels allowed for water to flow from distant sources to the city, reducing evaporation and maintaining a more reliable water supply for agriculture and daily life,” Tsukerman explained. “In addition to their practical purpose, the design of these tunnels was ingeniously adapted to the region’s hot climate. The qanat tunnels are often quite deep and well-ventilated, ensuring that the water remained cool as it traveled through the underground channels.”
But ancient people didn’t just use the tunnels for managing water. Cool and dark, they also offered a reprieve from hot summer days.
IRNAThe tunnels were used to manage the city’s water supply and may have served as a refuge in case of attack.
As Hatami remarked, the tunnels also provided a “cool and peaceful space” during the hottest times of the year, which led to the “gradual creation of large halls…so that the people of the desert land of Abarkuh could use it as a resting place and perhaps a place to live during the hot summer days.”
