Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

Submitted by Iza on Sun, 09/22/2024 - 11:35

This text is a fragment of "The Secrets of Bodrum and Ancient Caria" guidebook.

Within the area of modern-day Turkey, the remains of two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World have been preserved: the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Unfortunately, while visiting these places, you cannot count on such magnificent views as tourists enjoy when viewing the Pyramid of Cheops. In place of the Temple of Artemis now stands a solitary column, and where once stood the magnificent Mausoleum, there are modest ruins that do not stand out in any way. Despite this, it is worth spending a moment during your stay in Bodrum to visit this place, to reflect on the perversity of history and the transience of even the greatest achievements of humanity. Immediately after that, you should quickly move to St. Peter's Castle, to find the traces of this tomb of the Carian ruler named Mausolus reused in this mighty fortress.

Iasos

Submitted by Iza on Tue, 09/17/2024 - 17:26

This text is a fragment of "The Secrets of Bodrum and Ancient Caria" guidebook.

Located within the fishing village of Kıyıkışlacık, the rarely visited ruins of an ancient city called Iasos picturesquely tower over the deep bay of Güllük, which belongs to the Aegean Sea. It is well worth spending some time and effort to get there. The effort will be rewarded by the joy of wandering among the remains of ancient buildings and the views from the Iasos acropolis over the blue waters of the sea.

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.