In this book, rock-cut and underground structures of Koramaz Valley on the Anatolian Plateau in Turkey are described in detail. The valley; located in eastern Turkey near the town of Kayseri, has hundreds of rock-cut structures, in addition to several underground cities, and almost none of them have been studied before. Research conducted by a team from 2014 to 2020, resulted in this overview of all the rock-cut and underground structures in and around seven different settlements in the valley and aims for the physical documentation and inventory of all these structures. The book studies cliff settlements, rock-cut churches, underground cities, and funerary architecture in the valley. These shelters are estimated to have been built between the 7th and 10th centuries and even the smallest of these structures offer rich details for architectural, socio-cultural and historical studies. The rock-cut churches date to the Byzantine Empire period and during the research period, over 400 of these structures were explored, surveyed, and mapped in the region and with all these historical and natural values. Recently, the Koramaz Valley was accepted to the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list. This book is of interest to archaeologists and scholars of built heritage.

Subterranean Realms is a unique book that surveys underground and rock cut structures created in the past. It is the third book in Mutton’s trilogy on mysterious realms, the others being Sunken Realms and Water Realms. We know who built some of these astonishing and mysterious structures, but others were built by unknown civilizations in prehistory for reasons that are debated among researchers. Some subterranean structures may have been built for initiation ceremonies or perhaps for acoustic reasons, or both. Mutton discusses such interesting sites as: Derinkuyu, an underground city in Cappadocia, Turkey that housed 20,000 people; Roman catacombs of Domitilla; Palermo Capuchin catacombs; Alexandria catacombs; Paris catacombs; Maltese hypogeum; Rock-cut structures of Petra; Treasury of Atreus, Mycenae; Elephanta Caves, India; Lalibela, Ethiopia; Tarquinia Etruscan necropolis; Hallstatt salt mine; Beijing air raid shelters; Japanese high command Okinawa tunnels; more. There are tons of illustrations in this fascinating book!

Surveys from two areas of Cappadocia identify and document underground architecture complementary to the best-known and most substantial Byzantine rock-cut churches. Conducted through speleological techniques and archaeometric survey, numerous defensive structures and related underground hydraulic systems were discovered.

This is an overview of different case studies of rock-cut sites and quarries, approached as knots in the network of people-stone interactions.

This book analyzes the architecture of columbarium tombs and explains their unique design with the particular social experience of their non-elite occupants.

This book comprehensively reviews the historical background of speleology and cave research in the contexts of archeology and natural sciences. It also offers a summary of selected topics related to the karstic terrain of Turkey. Covering 40 % of the country's surface area, Turkey's karstic terrain accommodates thousands of caves. However, understanding the geology, geomorphology, hydrology, biology, and ecosystem dynamics of these caves is still limited. Despite numerous explorations and extensive fieldwork, this is the first comprehensive publication on the topic since 1984. The book presents the 45 most significant caves in Turkey, selected according to several criteria, including esthetical uniqueness. It covers caves of global archeological importance, such as Karain, Yarımburgaz and Üçagızlı, and some of the world's deepest caves, such as Peynirlikönü, Kuzgun, Morca, and Çukurpınar. The book includes a survey and a detailed description of the genesis, geology, geomorphology, and exploration history for each cave.