Ancient city of Termessos undergoes first excavation

Located on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and dating back to the 4th century BC, the ancient city is undergoing excavation work for the first time this year as part of the Türkiye's Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s “Heritage for the Future Project.”

Situated in a challenging terrain with a position resembling an eagle’s nest, the excavations in Termessos are being carried out under the leadership of Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Koçak from Antalya Science University, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

The work is concentrated in the necropolis area — where most of the city’s 3,000 tombs (mostly sarcophagi) and more than 900 inscriptions are located.

Teams are working to raise two monumental tombs, each about 14 meters high, back to their original standing position centuries later.

Experts have conducted durability analyses of the original stones and created a 3D computer model of the monumental tomb by digitally processing each stone individually.

Once the work is completed, the stones will be placed back onto the podiums where the monumental tombs originally stood.

“It will be a tomb richly decorated with many reliefs”

Excavation director Koçak told Anadolu Agency that the necropolis is one of the largest in the Mediterranean.

He explained that more than 3,000 tombs and 900 inscriptions line both sides of the stone-paved road in the ancient city, adding:

“We are focusing our excavations in this area. We are especially working on two monumental tombs. We call one of them the ‘dancing women tomb.’ On both sides of the entrance door to the tomb chamber, there are life-sized reliefs of dancing women. We found the head of one of the women among the ruins and sent it to the museum. When restored, the structure will stand 14 meters high. It will be a tomb richly decorated with many reliefs — in addition to the women reliefs, there will be theater masks, Erotes, Nikes, lion motifs, and ornamentations.”

Monumental tombs to be restored with original stones

Koçak stated that the other monumental tomb also has its inscription preserved and belongs to a woman who had the tomb built for herself and her husband.

“The monumental tomb has a large podium. On all four sides of the podium, you can see weapon reliefs such as shields, spears, swords, armor, and axes. Some of these weapons were used in their time, while others represent mythical enemies. The most significant are the shield and axe reliefs belonging to Amazon warrior women,” he said.

He added that the restoration plans for the monumental tombs have been completed and reconstructed digitally:

“When restored, the monumental tombs will become iconic structures of Termessos. Since traces of Christianity are limited in Termessos, the city’s original stones have remained intact. In many ancient cities, stones were reused in churches during the Christian era, but that did not happen here. All structural elements of the monumental tombs have survived in their original state.”

Termessos, built on the slopes of Mount Güllük and protected from plunder due to its steep terrain after antiquity, is known from historical sources as the city besieged by Alexander the Great in 333 BC — but he failed to capture it due to its strong defenses.