Tombs of the kings of Pontus in Amasya

Submitted by Iza on Wed, 09/04/2024 - 10:00

Rock tombs carved into the mountain slope overlooking Amasya are the most significant archaeological remains of the former Kingdom of Pontus. In fact, they are one of the few reminders of this country, next to the beautiful Hellenistic fortifications and the acropolis on the top of Mount Harşena, also located in Amasya. The site was added to the tentative list in the cultural category of UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014.

August 2024 in Turkish archaeology

Submitted by Iza on Sun, 09/01/2024 - 15:33

August 2024 was an extremely busy month for the archaeologists working in the area of Türkiye. Among the most important discoveries, we should mention a monumental Zeus head found in Aphrodisias and a bust of the sponsor who commissioned the construction of the theatre’s stage building in Prusias ad Hypium unearthed near the western entrance of the theatre. Moreover, in a remarkable underwater excavation near Antalya’s Kumluca district, archaeologists have discovered a 3,600-year-old bronze dagger with silver rivets, believed to be linked to the ancient Minoan civilization in Crete. Finally, the figure of a running wild donkey carved on a stone was found during excavations at Karahan Tepe, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic site located in Şanlıurfa Province.

Archaeological Museum in Silifke

Submitted by Iza on Sat, 08/10/2024 - 08:39

Since the late 1940s, archaeological finds from the area around Silifke, i.e. the ancient Seleucia on the Calycadnus, were collected at the Cumhuriyet Primary School in Silifke. From 1958, the school's warehouse was used as a museum. In the 1970s, construction began on a museum building on the outskirts of the city, to the east of the centre, by the D-400 road leading to Antalya and Mersin. Finally, the Archaeological Museum in Silifke was opened on August 2, 1973. The museum has two floors, with the sections devoted to archaeology and ethnography of the region.

Lion statue from late Roman-early-Byzantine times

July 2024 in Turkish archaeology

Submitted by Iza on Thu, 08/01/2024 - 10:09

July 2024 brought some sensational archaeological discoveries in the area of Turkey. Among the most fascinating ones, the Hittite royal seal warning ‘Whoever Breaks This Will Die’ was found during the excavations in Kırıkkale. Meanwhile, the archaeologists unearthed the Koressos gate, one of the three main entrances to the ancient city of Ephesus, while the underwater studies in Parion, a 2,700-year-old port city in Kemer village of Biga district of Çanakkale, revealed the second ancient port of the city. Finally, a recently published study suggests that a woman buried in the upper reaches of the Tigris River in south-eastern Türkiye around 12,000 years ago may have been a shaman believed to have had a spiritual connection with wild animals.

Şahabeddin Pasha (Kirazlı) Mosque in Edirne

Submitted by Iza on Wed, 07/31/2024 - 10:51

Şahabeddin Pasha Kirazlı Mosque is a small and somewhat dull building, hiding in the shadow of the famous Selimiye Mosque, in the historical centre of Edirne. However, the history of its founder - Şahabeddin Pasha - is a fascinating example of a spectacular career that a talented person could make in the Ottoman court, even starting from very humble origins.