CHP MP submits parliamentary question on İzmir ancient site

ANKARA

In a parliamentary question presented to the Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Murat Bakan has sked when the dewatering process will start for an archeological site in the Aegean province of İzmir, which has recently hit the news after being submerged in flood waters.

“What is the reason of the necessary [dewatering] works not to be undertaken in the relevant area, which as it has been noted in the decision taken by the İzmir No. 1 Board of Cultural Protection displays a period’s socio-cultural life, has a complex structure, and is regarded as a ‘strict preservation board’?” asked Bakan in his question.

He also asked how long the relevant dewatering process will take place and how the ancient site will be “evaluated” once the archeological works are completed.

Daily Hürriyet reported on Dec. 30 that an archeological site consisting of a harbor bath and an imperial salon from Roman times in İzmir is waiting to be rescued after it submerged in flood waters. Archeologists say the water must be discharged from the site before it gets irretrievably damaged.

The General Directorate for Foundations, which owns the land where the ancient artifacts sit, has released a statement saying that they are waiting for an expert report to initiate the relevant dewatering process.

The remains of the historical artifacts were discovered in 2016 when a firm demolished a 120-year-old business center in the Konak district in a bid to replace it with a newer center. Following the discovery, the construction was immediately stopped.

The İzmir Directorate of Museums under the Culture and Tourism Ministry then performed a salvage excavation on the site. During the excavation works, an ancient harbor bath, an imperial salon, shops and storage spaces from the second century were unearthed.