Antique city of Sillion, located in the Turkish province of Antalya, is another attraction of the region due to its rich historical past.
On the ruins of a city built on a high hill in the Serik region, archaeological excavations are conducted.
The ruins of the city include Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and partly the Seljuk periods. Among the attractions of the city: necropolis, amphitheater, stadium, bath, water structures, as well as the mosque built during the Seljuki period.
A team of archaeologists consisting of 40 people, led by the teacher of the University of Pamukkale, Doctor of Sciences Murat Tashkiran engage in excavations of the ancient city to shed light on the unknown and contribute to the tourism potential of the region.
In an interview with Anadol, Tashkyran said that the main excavations are carried out in the area of the Roman period of 240 meters long and 48 meters wide, the history of which has 4,000 years.
The scientist recalled that excavations in the ancient city began after the visit of the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey Mehmet Nuri Ersa in 2019.
According to him, groups of archaeologists from the universities of Pamukkale, Akdeniz, the rim Suleiman Demirel and Anadol, as well as from abroad, worked at excavations.
“Sillion is one of the most important ancient cities of the region. We find traces of a settlement here up to 3000 BC. It is an ancient city that can be traced in Hittite sources. We have a model of the city that originates from the period BC to the Ottoman state, ”Tashkyran said.
The scientist noted that the ancient city carries traces of various periods of civilization. These are classic defensive structures, a Hellenistic tower, the Stadium of the Roman period, the Byzantine castle and the Seljuk mosque, he pointed out.
“We conduct various studies in order to contribute to the tourism potential of the region and build the city to the level that it deserves. We believe that we overcame a long way. At first we conducted terrestrial research and conducted various scientific works,” said Tashkyran .
According to him, in the framework of the new stage of work, the team of archaeologists is excavating in the area of the stadium, the Roman bath and necropolis.
Tashkyran noted that in the framework of the work done it was possible to establish that the mosque located on the territory of the ancient city belongs to the Seljuk period. We found a forge and workshop for the manufacture of knives in its environs, Tashkyran noted. “Sillion was built on a hilly area, and in this regard, most of its objects have survived to this day thanks to solid grounds. 40 buildings were recorded in the historical zone, the scientist added.