Baptistery unearthed during excavations in Turkish resort town

AYDIN

As comprehensive field works and excavations continue in the Aegean resort town of Kuşadası, a baptistery believed to be built in the fifth century has been found in the ruins of a historical castle located in the city’s center.

A baptismal pool in octagonal form with three units and the opus sectile floor coverings which bear the traces of the Byzantine period were unearthed inside the Kadı Castle, which was known as “Anaia” in the ancient age.

Scientific studies in the Kadı Castle, one of the important parts of the region’s cultural heritage, have been carried out under the leadership of Zeynep Mercangöz, an academic from Ege University.

Noting that she was very excited because the baptistery was unearthed, Mercangöz said the archaeological excavations were full of surprises and that Anaia also had many of them.

“We came across an early baptistery by chance. The peculiarity of the baptistery is that it is much more magnificent than its counterparts,” Mercangöz said, adding that the find was very important data for its period.

The Aydın Archaeology Museum Director Abdülbari Yıldız also said that the excavation location, which was built on a mound, had a strong past dating from the fourth century BC until the Republic period.

He said that the castle is a very special place where a church, two baptisteries and an Islamic prayer hall can be found together on three acres of land, noting that the unearthed baptistery maintains its structural integrity.