Ancient tumulus to bring in tourism

AYDIN

It has been reported that a 2,350-year-old tumulus, found during the surface surveys in the ancient city of Pygela in 2022 in the Kuşadası district of the western province of Aydın and surrounded by a 23.5-meter-long wall and will bring in tourism.

“Examinations show that the king of the period, one of its highest level administrators or a high-ranking commander, was buried here. Unfortunately, the building was destroyed by robbers in the ancient era. However, this is a tumulus, I’m sure it will be a visual feast when we reveal it,” said Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Umut Tuncer.

The surface survey was conducted in 2022 in the ancient city of Pygela, located in Kuşadası’s Kuştur area, under the direction of Aydın Erön, a lecturer at Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Department of Archeology.

The tumulus, considered to have been built during the Hellenistic period, was found during the excavations. It is considered that the tumulus, which dates back 2,350 years, was surrounded by a 23.5-meter-long round wall and contains a 4.5-meter-long, 3.80-meter-wide tomb, belonged to the high-ranking administrators of the period or a commander.

It has been reported that the tomb is aimed to be completely unearthed with the excavations to be carried out this year and to bring in tourism. It was stated that excavations were carried out in a part of the tumulus between 1974 and 1978, but the structure was not unearthed as a whole.

“We found an important structure in the Kuşadası survey. It was a tumulus structure in the east of the ancient city of Pygela. It turned out that this structure was the tomb of the senior manager of an important period. The workmanship and the quality of the tumulus has an important potential in terms of cultural tourism. At this point, we evaluate the results of the survey,” Tuncer said.

“Cleaning works were carried out to reveal the structure. We have started the plan and program for the excavation of the tumulus. I think it is an important discovery,” he added.

The head of excavations, Associated Professor Aydın Erön said, “Kuştur Tumulus is one of the mausoleums thought to have been built in the Hellenistic period. It was a structure that had not been studied for a long time. Therefore, it is also important for us to be able to clean and promote this structure again. Because we don’t find such tombs from 350-300s B.C. very often. It already proves to us that the masonry is of very high quality. This is a very valuable mausoleum in terms of regional tourism. There are not many such mausoleums related to that period. If such a mausoleum is unearthed and exhibited in Kuşadası, the region will be visited by more people. It’s a very big tomb.”