New city walls found in ancient Anavarza

Excavations in the ancient city of Anavarza (Anazarbus), located in the southern Turkish province of Adana, have unearthed new city walls from the 8th and 9th centuries.

The city walls of ancient Anavarza have been uncovered 
during recent works [Credit: AA]

Head of the excavations, Çukurova University Archaeology Department Assistant Professor Fatih Gülşen said works had been continuing with a team of 40 people and the new walls were discovered during cleaning work around the excavation field.

“The nearly 4.5 kilometer-long city walls date back to the 8th and 9th centuries, when Arabs were dominant in the region. There are two gates on the 30-meter-wide walls. They are called the western gates. The main street is reached through the gates,” Gülşen said.

He said pesticides would be applied to the field to prevent reeds from growing, adding that when the excavation work was done, the ancient city of Anavarza would contribute to Turkish tourism.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [November 12, 2015]