Sam asked, “What else is known for certain?”
“The earliest written mentions of Derinkuyu were found in the writings of Xenophon, dated somewhere between 431–355 BC. From Byzantine times of the 4th century through to 1923 Derinkuyu was known by its Cappadocian Greek inhabitants as Malakopea. It was greatly expanded in the middle Byzantine period to serve as a refuge from the constant raids of the Umayyad Arab and Abbasid armies, during the Arab — Byzantine wars that continued between 780-1180.”
“Interesting.” Sam flashed his light down an extremely deep ventilation shaft as they walked past. The hole swallowed the light well before it reached the shaft’s bottom. “You said before there were some who suggested that Derinkuyu is even older than that?”
“Yes. Most of it is entirely speculation and deserves a place in the heart of conspiracy theorists rather than the works of archeologists and scholars.”
“Go on,” Sam said. “What are some of the theories?”
“Some suggest that the caves were constructed by the Persian King Yima around 400 BC.” Sadik smiled, as though it was impossible. “Of course, Yima may have been a mythological figure rather than an actual king. It was said that he enjoyed a lifespan of more than 900 years — you may recall that this figure is common in many Biblical figures as well. The Zoroastrian text of Vendidad states that Yima built an underground city on the orders of the god Ahura Mazda, to protect his people from a catastrophic winter. Much like the account of Noah in the Bible, Yima was instructed to collect pairs of the best animals and people as well as the best seeds in order to reseed the Earth after the winter cataclysm.”
Sam paused as the tunnel forked into two directions where a single ventilation shaft ran through the middle. “Which way?”
Sadik flicked his flashlight across the first rung of a more recent makeshift wooden ladder. “We’re just going down.”
Sam started to climb, followed by Tom. “What was the disaster Ahura Mazda said would come?”
“What?” Sadik asked.
“The winter cataclysm Ahura Mazda said would come — what was it?”
“Oh, he said it would come from the sky and cover the world in a dark cloud for a lifetime, before revealing a new world.”
“It could have been in reference to a comet,” Sam suggested. “Some of the ancient astronomers had extensive knowledge of the movement of the stars and comets above. A recent study just released has deciphered the Vulture Stone, which was found in the Göbekli Tepe in Turkey. It appears the ancient stone carvings show a comet swarm hitting Earth around 10,950 BC. This correlates with the mini ice age, known as the Younger Dryas, which lasted for around 1,000 years.”
Sadik said, “Of course, Derinkuyu is nowhere near that old. So if they built it to protect themselves from a coming cataclysm from the sky, it never came.”
Sam paused at the bottom of the ventilation shaft, thinking about it. “What if we’re looking at this the wrong way?”
“How so?”
“What if we shouldn’t be looking for the disaster that happened in the past?”
“If not a previous disaster, then what?”
“How about considering if the underground city was built to protect us from something that’s still to come — something in the future?”
Chapter Five
Sam followed the next horizontal tunnel for about five minutes until they descended another two levels. The vertical shaft dropped maybe twenty-five feet and stopped. Two new horizontal tunnels broke off. Sadik took the northern tunnel without hesitation. Sam motioned to Tom to keep following, while he waited for a moment.
Sam waited until Tom’s light dimmed and then switched his own flashlight off. He was instantly surrounded by darkness. A slight glow glittered to the north, ahead of him. Sam turned and faced the south, where a light radiated fiercely. He stopped, waiting for the light to come closer, but it remained where he’d first spotted it.
Had their pursuers found a way inside Derinkuyu?
He switched on his flashlight and quickly caught up with Tom and Sadik. “I think we have company.”
“Really?” Sadik asked.
“There’s a light behind us,” Sam said.
Sadik exhaled deeply. “It’s okay. That’s coming from the tourist section of the Derinkuyu. They can’t get in here without a key. I assure you, we’re quite safe.”
“How much of the underground city is accessible?” Tom asked.
“Only about ten percent of it,” Sadik said as he kneeled down over an iron grate that protected another ventilation shaft. He rummaged through a large keychain until he found what he was after, and unlocked the padlock. “The rest is locked up for the safety of the tourists, or to avoid damage to some of the rooms of more archeological value. As you can appreciate, there are a number of wells and airshafts, which would swallow an adult whole.”
Sam said, “Fortunately for us, you have a key.”
“No. Fortunately for us, my discovery wasn’t found in the tourist section of the ancient city.”
Sam and Tom followed him through another series of tunnels, leading toward the south. They climbed down another two vertical shafts. It was a true rabbit warren, with no discernible purpose. After about fifteen minutes they reached a small opening, leading to a larger storeroom. It was oval-shaped and large stone seats were built into the ground.
Sam glanced at the stone structures. There were drain-holes at their base. “An old washroom?”
“Yes,” Sadik confirmed.
Sam grinned as he studied Sadik’s eyes. They were a dark brown color. His face appeared open and honest. A certain level of anticipation was evident, as though the man was waiting in expectation of being rewarded for his discovery.
Or had Sadik led Tom and him into a trap?
Sam glanced around the room. The entrance consisted of a gigantic rolling stone door that could seal the city from the inside. It seemed out of place to go to the effort to build such a defense system in order to protect a washroom and a dead end.
Maybe there was once more to this room, than now meets the eye?
In his cargo pocket, Sam felt for the handgun he’d stolen from their attackers. A Glock 31. The waterproof handgun had no safety, and could be fired in an instant, if Sadik had led him into a trap. He listened deeply for the sound of pursuers approaching, but none came.
Still waiting, Sam glanced at the walls for any evidence of the Master Builders being involved. He didn’t believe for a minute that they had been involved in the construction of Derinkuyu. The walls were too simple. Carved out by using rudimentary tools, the edges were rounded, as opposed to sharp, purposeful lines.
His deep blue eyes focused on Sadik. “I don’t see anything. Where did you find the wooden signpost?”
Sadik pointed to the end of the room, where a small well opened into complete darkness. “It was floating in there.”
Sam focused his flashlight inside the well. The light reached an area ten or so feet below, and reflected back from the stilled water. “Where does that lead to?”
“Nowhere,” Sadik said, looking blankly. “It’s just a well.”
Sam squinted, trying to see how deep the water went. “Sure. But where does it draw water from?”
“I don’t know. An ancient subterranean river, I suppose. Why?”
“Does the water level ever fluctuate?”
Sadik thought about it for a moment. “Rarely. Once or twice in the past twenty-five years since I’ve been working here.”
“Could it be possible that there were more levels below us?” Sam asked.
“And that the river below swelled and flooded it?” Sadik considered. “It’s an unlikely possibility. No one’s ever tried to find out as far as I know. It’s clearly just a well. Like the rest of the city, it leads to a subterranean river that once supplied the city. A person can barely fit inside, so I don’t think it was ever intended to be anything but a well. What were you thinking of doing, bringing SCUBA equipment to dive it?”