METU JOURNAL OF THE FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, vol.27, no.2, pp.125-139, 2010 (AHCI)
Different from its physical properties, underground can be considered rather a symbolic and a relative space. Throughout the history, it is socially and culturally produced to represent disparate reality and reflect a desirable truth. Despite the latest advances in technology, our society still regenerates new symbols for underground and the concept of underground takes new growing meanings and acquires different characters. How did so many culture independent negative phenomena become so closely identified with the underground? It can all be explained by collective subliminal perception of societies against this unknown space. This subliminal perception is formed by bygone myths and heirloom of ecclesiastical items as well as the need of societies and individuals for free and hidden spaces to examine and criticize actual status quo.