Kanytelis / Kanlıdivane - 3 August 2021

    Kanytelis is an ancient settlement that came to life in the 3rd century BC, during the Hellenistic period. Interestingly, it never turned into a city and kept its rural character for centuries. Kanytelis was controlled by the Kingdom of Olba, and later, in the Roman period, by the city of Elaiussa-Sebaste. The village grew around a limestone sinkhole measuring 142 x 95 m and 50 m deep. The cavern, accessible in antiquity, had a sacred precinct at its bottom (Hill 1996).  Religious activities continued into the Christian period. In the 5th century at least five churches were built in Kanytelis, four of which can still be traced today. The settlement was abandoned in the 7th century and re-occupied by the Ottomans in the 16th century.

Kanytelis (Kanlıdivane) *

Cennet-Cehennem (Heaven and Hell) - 29 July 2021

    Cennet (Heaven) and Cehennem (Hell) are two limestone sinkholes located 1 km south of Narlıkuyu in Mersin Province. Hell is the smaller of the caverns with walls steep enough to prevent any access. Heaven, measuring 110 x 250 m and 70 m deep, offers a convenient descent that have been used by men since antiquity. At the southern end of Cennet there is an extensive cave at the mouth of which a church dedicated to Virgin Mary was built in the 5th century. This geological feature inspired the first known name for the whole cavern - Corycian Cave. It was an ideal habitat for crocuses, and the obtained saffron was exported from nearby Korykos (Corycus) (Hill 1996). The site is mentioned in the Greek myths as the place where the monstrous serpent Typhon was nurtured. On the edge of Heaven sits an over-ground Roman temple converted to a church.

Church of Virgin Mary at Cennet-Cehennem*

Meryemlık (Sanctuary of Saint Thecla) - 22 July 2021

    Thecla was born in Ikonion (Konya) in the 1st century AD. She was a follower of Paul the Apostle, known as Saint Paul, and became a saint herself. She lived in the times difficult for Christians as the Roman Empire did not want the religion to spread. It forced Thecla to spend the last years of her life hiding in a cave near Seleukia (Silifke). Years after her death, in AD 313, the Edict of Milano imposed tolerance for Christianity within the empire. The new circumstances favoured the idea of turning the cave into a subterranean church what happened in the 4th century. Around the same time another church was built above the cave and the sanctuary became a popular pilgrimage destination (Hill 1996). In the next step, the over-ground church was replaced by an impressive basilica erected in the second half of the 5th century.

Saint Thecla Cave Church *

Alahan Monastery - 22 July 2021

    Alahan is a complex of sacral buildings erected in the 5th century AD. The ancient name of the site could be Apadnas. It is located in the Göksu (ancient Kalykadnos) Valley in Mersin Province (then Isauria). The complex is believed to be planned as a pilgrimage centre and only later became a monastery (Hill 1996). It was built during the reign of Emperor Leo I, and later Emperor Zeno, in the time when the Isaurians rose to prominence in the court of Constantinople. A closer archeological survey by Gough in 1950s led to a conclusion the site was never finished.

Alahan - West Church *

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 *

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 *

Flaviopolis (Ala Mosque) / Kadirli - 19 July 2020

    Flaviopolis was the ancient city founded by Emperor Vespasian in AD 73 (Sayar 2010) Vespasian was a member of the Flavian family which gave the name to the polis. The foundation took place a year after the Seleucids were finally stripped of their lands by Vespasian and Cilicia became fully Roman. Flaviopolis was the last city built in the region by the Romans (Sayar 2010). It is yet to be definitely confirmed that Kadirli is Flaviopolis, but the objects unearthed in situ, i.e. a Roman bath and villa with mosaics are strong leads in favour of such hypothesis. Today, where the city once stood, we can see a basilica from the 5th century, which was converted into a mosque, called Ala, in the Middle Ages.      

Looking from west *