Karasis - Hellenistic Fortress - 22 December 2020

    In 1996, Professor Sayar of Istanbul University was shown the vast ruins atop Mount Karasis in the Taurus Range. What was considered yet another medieval Armenian castle turned out to be a Hellenistic stronghold. Its partially standing walls, 2,4 km long, encircle the summit at the altitude of 900 m to 1050 m (Radt 2011). It took 1h45m for me to climb to the lower part of the fortress. There is no signposted path there, and the ascent is steep. There are two hallmarks at Karasis: the tower with an elephant chiseled above its entrance and the granary. The thing is that they are at opposite ends of the stronghold, and the terrain is very difficult to trek.

Karasis' 60-meter-long granary *

Kastabala / Kesmeburun - 19 November 2020

    It is not clear when the city was founded. Its Luwian name points to the Hittite period (c. 1700-1200 BC). The first written reference to Kastabala comes from an inscription in Aramaic (5-4th c. BC) and mentions 'Kastabalay'. In the Hellenistic time, the city became Hierapolis (2nd c. BC) only to regain its original name under Roman rule. The Romans brought peace and prosperity to Cilicia, and left many traces of their architectural genius behind. Also in Kastabala.

Kastabala *

Anazarbos (Anavarza) / Dilekkaya - Upper City - 10 October 2020

    After visiting the Lower City in July, I set off to continue my acquaintance with the ancient city of Anazarbos. On this occasion, I focused on the Upper City (or Acropolis) which is situated strategically on an isolated crag, 220 m above the Çukurova plain. It is speculated that the advantages of location were first recognized by the Assyrians in the 9th century BC.  The majority of remains come from the medieval Armenian period, nevertheless. They are accessible after a short ascent from the southwest.

Anazarbos from northwest *

Magarsos (Magarsus) / Karataş - 21 September 2020

    The city was named after the Magarsia sisters of the Temple of Athena, where the Macedonian king, Alexander the Great, sacrificed an animal before going into war with the Persian king, Darius, in 333 BC (Hürriyet Daily News 2016). It is not clear when the city was built, but archaeologists tend to indicate the 5th century BC. Historical sources often link Magarsos to another Greek city - Mallos, whose location is yet to be discovered.

Magarsos theatre, 5th century BC;
capacity c. 4000 (Dervişoğlu 2016)

Elaiussa-Sebaste / Ayaş - 13 September 2020

   The ancient city of  Elaiussa was established by the Greeks in the 2nd century BC, but almost nothing has left from that time. It became Sebaste (Greek equivalent of Augusta) in 12 BC thanks to a Cappadocian client king, Archelaos, who ruled the city, and who wanted to honour Emperor Augustus (Sayar 2010). Elaiussa Sebaste thrived in the 1st century AD and was inhabited through the Roman and into the Byzantine periods. However, when the nearby city of Korykos flourished in the 500s, the settlement lost its importance, which led to its abandonment in time.

Elaiussa-Sebaste - aqueduct arch *