Cave, rock paintings found in Aydın

AYDIN

A cave with rock paintings has been discovered two kilometers northwest of the 3,500-year-old ancient city of Alinda in the Karpuzlu district of the western province of Aydın.

The cave and rock paintings date back to the 5th millennium B.C., examinations revealed.

The cave was found during the surface survey carried out under the direction of Associate Professor Murat Çekilmez and officials encountered the wall paintings, resembling human figures, in the cave. While four of the paintings are believed to feature female figures, two paintings feature male figures. It was reported that the cave and the paintings, found in an area known as Bitişik Tepe, are older than the ancient city.

“We dated the ancient city of Alinda until 1,400 BC. However, we have now managed to date the life in the region to 5,000 B.C., that is, 7,000 years ago from today. We found cave paintings. The paintings have been preserved at a visible level. In this sense, it is suitable for nature tourism,” Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Umut Tuncer said.

Aydın Archeology Museum Director Abdulbari Yıldız said the human figures were made with madder and they turned their region into a protected area with the decision of the Conservation Board.

Stating that they have been carrying out surface survey for two years in and around the ancient city of Alinda, Çekilmez said, “We discovered the cave here during the works this year and we are so excited about it. For the first time, we found human figures in a hollow of the cave. They date back to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic period.”

He noted that the find took the history of Alinda back, adding, “Alinda is located on a spot built mostly for defense. It has a big agora. This place has a three-storey plan. We know that it was Anatolia’s biggest trade center. We think that the products such as olives, figs and olive oil produced were here are marketed all over the world. Because it is a huge agora.”