At Termessos, Archaeologists Restore Two Monumental Tombs After Millennia

High on the rugged slopes beneath Mount Güllük, one of Türkiye’s most dramatic archaeological landscapes has begun to reveal its monumental funerary architecture once more. Termessos—protected for millennia by its steep terrain and remembered as the mountain city that even Alexander the Great could not conquer—is now the focus of an ambitious restoration campaign that aims to reassemble two towering tombs using their original stone blocks.

A Rarely Disturbed Mountain City

Termessos’ position on a natural fortress kept it largely untouched after Antiquity. Unlike many classical centers whose stones were repurposed during the Christian era, the city’s architecture survived with remarkable integrity. This has allowed modern researchers to work with an almost complete set of original blocks, including the structural elements of the two monumental tombs now being reconstructed.

The project is part of Türkiye’s national Geleceğe Miras (Legacy to the Future) initiative, and marks the first systematic excavation ever conducted at Termessos. The work is led by Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Koçak of Antalya Bilim University.

One of the Mediterranean’s Largest Necropoleis

The excavations concentrate on the vast necropolis that flanks the ancient stone-paved road. With more than 3,000 tomb structures and over 900 inscriptions, it stands among the largest and most densely monumentalized burial landscapes in the entire Mediterranean world.

According to Koçak, the team’s priority this season is the reconstruction of two major funerary monuments that once dominated the necropolis skyline.

The “Dancing Women” Tomb Emerges Again

The first structure, informally known as the “Dancing Women” Tomb, takes its name from the life-sized reliefs carved beside the chamber’s entrance. One of the sculpted heads—long missing—was recently recovered among the collapsed stones and transferred to the museum.

Digital imaging, structural analysis, and precision modeling have allowed the team to recreate the tomb’s full geometry in virtual space. When reassembled, the monument will reach 14 meters in height and display original carvings of dancing female figures, theatrical masks, Erotes, Nikes, lions, and elaborate ornamental motifs.

Koçak notes that the entire architectural assembly consists of authentic stones: “Because Termessos was never quarried for later constructions, nearly every element survives in its original form.”

A Second Tomb With Weapons of Myth and History

The neighboring tomb bears an inscription revealing that it was commissioned by a woman for herself and her husband. Its podium features a striking sequence of carved weaponry, including shields, spears, swords, cuirasses, and axes. Some belong to historically used armaments; others depict legendary weapons associated with Amazon warrior women, a distinctive iconographic touch in Pisidian funerary art.

Reconstructing the Skyline of Ancient Termessos

Every block has been scanned and processed individually, allowing the team to reconstruct the monuments digitally before reassembling them physically on their podiums. Once complete, the two tombs will stand again as defining landmarks of Termessos—symbols of a mountain city whose isolation preserved its monumental architecture almost intact.