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Written by Oguz Büyükyıldırım
The Patara Lighthouse excavation began under a blazing July sun in 2004, as a small team of archaeologists and students pushed through sand and heat with little indication of what lay beneath. There was no road, no visible structure—only dunes stretching toward the sea. But even then, there was a growing sense that this was
A quiet stretch of central Anatolia is now offering one of the clearest answers yet to a long-standing question: when did wolves become dogs? New genetic evidence from the Pınarbaşı site in Türkiye shows that early dogs were already living alongside humans around 16,000 years ago—far earlier than previously confirmed. The discovery places Anatolia at
A new excavation season is beginning at Pessinus, a site long recognized as one of Anatolia’s key religious and cultural centers. The project will be carried out under the direction of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adem Yurtsever of Anadolu University, following a recent reassignment of excavation leadership. The transition reflects the standard practice within Turkish archaeology
A rock-cut Roman bath in western Türkiye, once believed to have healing properties, is now on the brink of disappearance after years of neglect in the village of Sefaköy, Kütahya. Hidden in the rural landscape of Hisarcık district, the structure—carved directly into natural rock during the Roman period—has long been known among locals for its
A quiet patch of ruins in southern Türkiye has revealed an unexpected layer of history. At the ancient city of Sillyon, archaeologists have identified the remains of an Ottoman-era village square, complete with a mosque, a water source, and an open communal space—suggesting that the site remained a living settlement long after antiquity. The discovery
A rare Renaissance portrait of Mehmed II—the Ottoman ruler who reshaped the course of world history—will soon take center stage at a high-profile auction in Dubai. Created in 1481 by the Italian artist Constanzo da Ferrara, the medallion is considered one of the most exceptional cross-cultural artworks linking Renaissance Europe with the Ottoman court. What
Beneath the still surface of the Dicle Dam Lake, traces of an older Eğil are still there — not erased, just hidden. Recent underwater footage recorded in the Eğil district of Diyarbakır has brought these remains back into view. During a routine training dive, search-and-rescue teams documented architectural structures lying beneath the reservoir — some
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
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
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
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
