This underground settlement
which is located in the centre of the village of Özlüce, the
ancient name of which was Zile, is on the Nevsehir-Derinkuyu road, 6 km
south of the town of Kaymakli.
Ozluce Underground settlement
is different from the others in terms of its geological formation and architectural
features. The underground settlement has tufa of different colors. There
is only one floor in this underground settlement which has not been completely
opened; however, it covers a very large area.
At the entrance is a place
with two intertwining arches made of basalt. Access to the main tufa stone
can be gained through a 15 m long passage, made of rubble stone. The stone
places, which lead to the underground settlement, are more recent than
the rock hollowed places that form the underground settlement. At the end
of this passage there is a millstone door which is made of hard granite
and is 1.75 m in diameter.
Being the largest area in
the underground settlement, the main space at the entrance consists of
two parts. To the right of the main space are storage rooms, and to the
left are living areas. On the sides of the long corridors are cell-like
rooms and on the floor are traps.