Situated in Kashmir, and recently discovered. “It is about 30 ft deep and on the east side of the well there is one room about 10ft x 12 ft and in the south end another small room of 6ft x 6ft size. The rooms are 5 ft in height. The 10ft long lane of 3 ft width gives the impression that it was an exit point used to get out from the barracks.”

Inhabited over a period of, perhaps, tens of thousands of years. The cave comprises a total area of about 8,000 square meters and includes eight large hallways or grottos, some with very high domed ceilings reaching up to 20-25 meters.

The two largest communities that have been unearthed are located at Kaymakli and Derinkuyu, 20 and 30 kms. south of Nevsehir on the Nevsehir-Nigde road. It is thought that the Hittites may have excavated the first few levels in the rock when they came under attack from the Phrygians around 1200 BC. However, some archaeologists believe that the oldest caves, those hewn with stone rather than metal tools, are substantially older.

Gaziemir underground city dates back to the Byzantine period. It is larger than similar cities in Aksaray and made up of a bath, two churches, animal shelters, depots, small and big cookers and living spaces. It was big enough for camels to walk around.

These ancient dolmens are very well put together, and may have been used for shelter

The small town of Goris lies in the middle of Armenia in the province of Zangezour. It is famous for its thousands of dwellings carved into the rock. In 401 BC, during the retreat of the Ten Thousand (Anabasis), Xenophon passed through Armenia. In his account of the expedition he mentions the Armenian troglodytes of Khndzoresk and Goris.

For at least 2000 years people have been digging caves into the soft but waterproof tuff rock composed of volcanic dust, in the so-called badlands, agriculturally useless ochre hills.

A subterranean structure excavated c. 2500 B.C. Thought to be originally a sanctuary, it became a necropolis in prehistoric times. It is the only accepted prehistoric underground temple in the world.

Rumours stating "when the "Hypogeum" was first discovered nearly 30,000 human skeletons of men, women and children (victims of ancient sacrifice to the "underworld gods", performed by an old neolithic race) were discovered as well."

Underground homes from ancient times

There has been a human settlement here since at least the Arabic Almohad period in the twelfth century.

Cave Dwellings in Setenil de las Bodegas, Andalucia, Spain

Man-made cave dwellings have been used as shelter in China since 2,000 BC. Today there are an estimated 40 million Chinese living in cave shelters.