Looters Target 2,300-Year-Old Amyzon as Excavations in Ancient Carian City Remain Delayed
The ancient city of Amyzon, located in Aydın Province in western Türkiye, has become increasingly vulnerable to looting after long-planned archaeological excavations failed to begin. Dating back more than 2,300 years, the Carian city preserves impressive defensive walls and architectural remains. Yet despite its archaeological importance, Amyzon has not been the focus of a systematic
Rare Dede Korkut Manuscript Donated Unknowingly in Bursa May Gain UNESCO Recognition
One of the most important literary treasures of the Turkic world—an extremely rare manuscript of the Book of Dede Korkut—has resurfaced in an unexpected way in Bursa, Türkiye. The manuscript, donated to a museum by a collector who initially did not realize its significance, is now recognized as one of the few surviving copies of
1,500-Year-Old Greek Inscription Mosaic Reading “Let the Envious Burst” Discovered in Syedra
A 1,500-year-old mosaic with Greek inscriptions has been uncovered in the ancient city of Syedra, near Alanya on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast. The well-preserved floor mosaic, discovered during ongoing archaeological excavations, features decorative geometric and vegetal motifs accompanied by two striking inscriptions, including one that can be translated as “Let the envious burst.” The discovery provides
Türkiye’s Only Pyramid-Type Tomb Enters New Conservation Phase in Marmaris
Conservation and environmental improvement works have begun at Türkiye’s only pyramid-type tomb in the Turgut neighborhood of Marmaris, one of the region’s most significant cultural heritage monuments and a rare Hellenistic funerary structure located in Muğla Province. The project is being carried out by the Marmaris Chamber of Commerce (MTO), which both prepared and funded
Savatra Ancient City Photograph Wins “Photo of the Year” at 2026 Current Archaeology Awards
A remarkable photograph taken at the ancient city of Savatra in central Anatolia has been selected as “Photo of the Year” at the 2026 Current Archaeology Awards, one of the most recognized international honors in the field of archaeology. Captured by Turkish photographer Tahir Ceylan, the award-winning image presents the ruins of Savatra beneath a
Çakmaktepe: An Early Neolithic Settlement Reframing the Origins of Sedentary Life in Southeast Türkiye
In the limestone uplands west of the Harran Plain, a quiet archaeological site is helping scholars rethink one of humanity’s biggest turning points: the shift from mobile foraging to settled life. Çakmaktepe, excavated within the framework of the Taş Tepeler Project, preserves rare architectural and cultural evidence from the earliest phases of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic
World’s Only Life-Size Bronze Mars Statue Now Viewable Up Close at Zeugma Mosaic Museum
Visitors to the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Gaziantep can now experience one of the institution’s most remarkable masterpieces from a completely new perspective. A specially constructed viewing platform allows the public to approach the museum’s approximately 2,000-year-old bronze statue of Mars more closely than ever before. The museum, established in 2011 across a 30,000-square-meter complex
Konya’s “Dümdüm Rock”: A Phrygian Tomb That Echoes Across Time
In the rural landscape of central Anatolia, a solitary rock formation near İncesu village in Seydişehir, Konya Province, carries both an archaeological legacy and a local legend. Known as “Dümdüm Rock,” the site preserves a rock-cut tomb attributed to the Phrygian period—an era that shaped much of Anatolia’s early Iron Age cultural identity. What sets
Forgotten Crafts Revived in Restored Ottoman Shops at Stratonikeia
For decades, visitors have come to Stratonikeia for its marble streets, its vast gymnasium, and the memory of gladiators who once fought in its arena. Soon, they may also come for the sound of a hammer striking copper, or the smell of fresh bread from a village oven. At the entrance of the ancient city
3,000 Ritual Hydriskoi Discovered at Demeter–Kore Temple in Aigai, Western Türkiye
A quiet sanctuary overlooking the rugged slopes of Yuntdağı has revealed an extraordinary testimony to ancient ritual life. Archaeologists working at the Demeter–Kore Temple in Aigai have uncovered approximately 3,000 small terracotta water vessels known as hydriskoi — one of the most substantial votive accumulations ever documented at the site. The excavation, conducted for the