Türkiye is home to countless archaeological sites from different historical periods. While some sites like Ephesus, Göbeklitepe, and Hierapolis are widely known, other ancient cities in Türkiye remain relatively obscure despite their incredible beauty and historical significance. Below, we present a list of these lesser-known archaeological treasures, hoping that one day, you too will explore these hidden paradises.
1. Termessos Ancient City, Antalya
Located atop Mount Solymos (modern-day Güllük Dağı in Antalya), Termessos stands on a natural platform with limited detailed historical records, yet it holds a unique place in history. It is believed to have been founded by the Solymians, one of Anatolia’s ancient peoples. According to Strabo, the name Solym was derived from the Anatolian deity Solymeus, who was later equated with Zeus. This is confirmed by coins from Termessos featuring the deity’s image and name. Termessos’ greatest claim to fame is its successful defense against Alexander the Great in 333 BCE due to its strategic location and strong fortifications—making it the only city to resist him.
Though it reached its peak during the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE under Roman rule, it was eventually abandoned due to its inaccessible location and lack of water. However, rather than vanishing in time, it endured—its ruins still magnificent today. Among the ruins are defensive walls, temples, a necropolis, agora, gymnasium, bouleuterion, a spectacular theater with a panoramic view, and five large rock-cut cisterns. The “Dog Sarcophagus,” housed in the Antalya Museum, is one of the most remarkable finds—a poetic epitaph written by the owner for a dog named Stephanos.
2. Aizanoi Ancient City, Kütahya
Located in Çavdarhisar, Aizanoi was the main settlement of the Aizanitis people in ancient Phrygia. Excavations uncovered signs of habitation dating back to 2800–2500 BCE. While it switched between Pergamon and Bithynia during the Hellenistic period, it came under Roman rule in 133 BCE. Aizanoi became one of the most impressive Roman cities, with highlights like the Temple of Zeus, the Stadium-Theater complex, baths, bridges, and the Macellum (market). The Temple of Zeus, built on a hill, is among the best-preserved of its kind. The stadium and theater complex is unique to Aizanoi, and the 2nd-century CE Macellum is considered one of the world’s first stock exchanges. The inscriptions on its walls list fixed prices for goods, set by Emperor Diocletian in the 3rd century CE to fight inflation—still legible today.
3. Arykanda Ancient City, Antalya
Near Finike, the name “Ary-ka-wanda” in the Lycian language means “place next to the high rock.” Built on terraced slopes, Arykanda is one of the oldest Lycian cities, with ruins dating from the 5th century BCE to the 3rd century CE. The Acropolis is thought to be the original settlement. To its east lies the Bouleuterion, and north, a 4th-century BCE temple dedicated to Helios. Higher up is a 1st-century CE stadium, below which is a small but well-preserved theater. At the bottom terrace are the agora and the odeon.
4. Kibyra Ancient City, Burdur
According to Strabo, the people of Kibyra were originally Lydians who migrated to the Kabalis region, eventually settling in Gölhisar around the 4th–3rd centuries BCE. Known for its militaristic character, Kibyra features a stadium (195 meters long, capacity: 10,000), odeon, theater, council house, and agora. From the 1st century BCE onward, gladiator shows were held in the stadium, and many gladiator friezes were found in excavations. The Odeon’s orchestra is decorated with a unique Medusa mosaic, crafted using the opus sectile technique with marble plaques—about 2,000 years old.
5. Uzuncaburç (Diocaesarea-Olba) Ancient City, Mersin
Once the religious center of Olba, Uzuncaburç became an autonomous city named Diocaesarea under Emperor Vespasian in 72 CE. Its most significant structure is the Temple of Zeus Olbios, likely built by Seleucus I Nicator. With 36 Corinthian columns, it is one of the oldest peripteral temples in Anatolia. Other notable structures include a five-story tower, monumental tombs, a colonnaded street, theater, city gates, nymphaeum, and the Temple of Tyche.
6. Stratonikeia Ancient City, Muğla
Inhabited since the Late Bronze Age, the city was known as Atriya (Hittite era), Khrysaoris and Idrias (Archaic/Classical), and Stratonikeia (Hellenistic). Renamed in the 3rd century BCE by Seleucid King Antiochus I after his wife Stratonike, it became fully Roman around 130 BCE. The site features remains from Antiquity, Byzantine, Beylik, and Ottoman periods—including the well-preserved Şaban Ağa Mosque and Seljuk bath. The Sacred Way leads from the city gate through the necropolis to the Hekate Sanctuary at Lagina.
7. Kanlıdivane (Kanytellis), Mersin
Located within the rugged Cilicia region, ancient Kanytella—now known as Kanlıdivane—surrounds a dramatic 60-meter-deep sinkhole. Inscriptions indicate it was part of the Olba Kingdom in the 2nd century BCE, serving as Olba’s port. Inhabited continuously from the 3rd century BCE to the 7th century CE, it was renamed Neapolis and became a Christian center under Emperor Theodosius II. Surviving ruins include defensive walls, a Hellenistic tower, large and small basilicas, and an extensive necropolis. Notably, many buildings were repurposed as olive oil workshops, with presses, weights, and basins still visible—proving Kanlıdivane’s importance as an olive oil hub in its later years.
8. Nysa Ancient City, Aydın
Situated 30 km east of Aydın, Nysa was an important city of ancient Caria. According to the geographer Strabo (63 BCE – 21 CE), who studied here, it was founded in the 3rd century BCE by Antiochus I Soter of the Seleucid dynasty. Nysa became a notable cultural and educational center under Roman rule, famed for its gymnasium and library. Key ruins include the theater, stadium, agora, and Roman bridges.
9. Laodikeia: A Biblical Metropolis in Denizli
Founded in the mid-3rd century BCE by Seleucid King Antiochus II in honor of his wife Laodice, Laodikeia became part of the Roman Empire in 130–129 BCE. Home to one of Christianity’s Seven Churches, the city was a religious metropolis in the Early Byzantine period. Spread over 5 km², notable structures include the largest known stadium in Anatolia, two theaters, four bath complexes, five agoras, five nymphaea, temples, bouleuterion, peristyle houses, monumental gates, churches, and avenues. Necropoleis surround the city on all sides.
10. Pisidia Antioch (Antiokheia), Isparta
Located in Yalvaç, this city was one of the Seleucid colonies (apoikiai), strategically positioned among Galatia, Phrygia, and Pisidia. At its peak during the Roman era, it likely had a population of 70,000 and later became the capital of Pisidia province. Prominent features include the West Gate, theater, colonnaded street, Tiberius Square, Propylon, Nymphaeum, and the monumental Temple of Augustus. Another highlight is the Church of St. Paul, built where Paul the Apostle gave one of his first official sermons in 46 CE, making it a Christian pilgrimage site.
11. Priene Ancient City, Aydın
Part of the Ionian League, Priene lies on the southern slopes of Mount Mycale, 15 km southwest of Söke. Dating back to the 7th century BCE, it is one of the best examples of planned city design (Hippodamian grid plan). Major ruins include the Temples of Athena, Zeus, and Demeter, Bouleuterion, Gymnasium, Theater (6,000 seats), Agora, and the Sanctuary of the Egyptian Gods. The Temple of Athena Polias, designed by the famed architect Pythius, is a masterpiece of classical architecture.
12. Knidos Ancient City, Muğla
Located in Datça, Knidos was a center for science and the arts. It was home to astronomer Eudoxus, physician Euryphon, painter Polygnotos, and Sostratus, architect of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. In fear of Persian attacks, the city attempted (unsuccessfully) to transform its peninsula into an island. Structures still visible include a round temple, Dionysus Stoa and Temple, Apollo Temple, Bouleukrates Fountain, and a 5,000-seat theater.
13. Letoon: Lycian Sacred Ground in Muğla
Situated in Kumluova (Seydikemer district), Letoon was founded in the 7th century BCE as the religious center of ancient Lycia. It was built in honor of the goddess Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis, and features three temples dedicated to this divine trio. A UNESCO World Heritage Site (with nearby Xanthos), it reached its zenith during the Hellenistic period. Other ruins include a church, a fountain, and a Roman theater. The trilingual inscription (Greek, Lycian, and Aramaic) found near the Temple of Apollo is critical to deciphering the Lycian language and is now housed in the Fethiye Museum.
14. Aigai Ancient City, Manisa
Aigai, near Köseler village on Mount Yuntdağı, was founded by the Aeolians who migrated from Greece around the 2nd millennium BCE. The city’s name, often associated with goats, suggests a pastoral economy. Following a destructive earthquake in 17 CE, it was rebuilt with Roman imperial support. Hellenistic structures include a theater, three-story agora, macellum, council house, paved streets, and an advanced water drainage system.
15. Tripolis Ancient City, Denizli
Originally named Apollonia, the city was renamed Tripolis during the Late Hellenistic period. Tripolis flourished in the 2nd century CE under Roman rule, with the addition of monumental gates, baths, stadium, theater, and a council house. Due to its location on active fault lines, it experienced frequent earthquakes and underwent several reconstructions. Later fortified in the Late Roman and Byzantine periods, its walls were reinforced with towers and watchtowers.
16. Magnesia Ancient City, Aydın
Founded by Magnetes from Thessaly, Magnesia was taken by Lydian King Gyges, destroyed by the Cimmerians in 657 BCE, and later controlled by Persians, Spartans, and Seleucids. It was moved to its current location in the 4th century BCE. Famous for its Artemis Temple designed by Hermogenes, one of the Hellenistic world’s finest examples, and for having one of the best-preserved stadia in Anatolia.
17. Mastaura Ancient City, Aydın
Near Nazilli, Mastaura was located on the Caput Viae route linking the Aegean coast with the Anatolian interior. Stephanos of Byzantium noted its mythological roots from the nymph “Ma.” Excavations began in 2022. The most impressive surviving structure is a Roman amphitheater, a rare find in Anatolia, alongside a large Roman bath complex.
18. Soli Pompeiopolis: Cilician Port City in Mersin
Founded around 700 BCE by Rhodian colonists, Soli became an important port of Cilicia. It thrived under the Seleucids but later suffered from pirate raids. After Roman General Pompey took control in 78 BCE, it was renamed Pompeiopolis. Ruins include a colonnaded street, harbor, theater, Roman bath, aqueducts, necropolis, and city walls.
19. Arslantepe, Malatya
Arslantepe is one of the oldest palace complexes in Anatolia, a political and economic hub over millennia. Excavations have been ongoing since 1932, and the site became an open-air museum in 2011. Visitors can explore adobe walls, temples, storage rooms, and 5,500-year-old wall paintings depicting early administrative and military power. At the entrance stand replicas of King Tarhunza and lion statues with reliefs.
20. Phrygian Valley: Land of King Midas
The Phrygians ruled much of what is now Türkiye between 1200–600 BCE. Their most famous king, Midas, ruled from the capital Gordion. The region today covers the Eskişehir–Kütahya–Afyonkarahisar triangle and is known for its rock-cut monuments and sacred structures. The valley’s soft volcanic tuff allowed the Phrygians to create intricate carvings and monumental facades, often featuring triangular gables and goddess reliefs. Key sites include Gordion (Ankara) as the political center and Yazılıkaya/Midas City (Eskişehir) as the religious heart. The valley features open-air temples, altars, tombs, and fortresses and was added to the UNESCO Tentative List in 2015.
