City of gladiators presents 3-D feast

MUĞLA – Anadolu Agency

AA Photos

Structures that have been unearthed in the ancient city of Stratonikeia, located in the western province of Muğla’s Yatağan district, will allow visitors to journey back in time with 3-D technology. 

The 2015 excavation work has recently ended in the ancient city of Stratonikeia, one of the world’s largest marble cities and home to many civilizations. 

Excavations head Professor Bilal Söğüt, said Stratoniekeia was known as the city of love and gladiators. He said excavations had been ongoing in various parts of the ancient city, and that the structures from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Anatolian beylics, Ottoman and Republic eras still survived as a whole. 

Söğüt said they had gradually unearthed each structure in the city, from the entrance gate of the city to the emperors’ temple and from the Roman bath to Turkish houses. Conservation and restoration work was also done in 2015. 

He said they tried to protect the structures in the city as best as possible, working to unearth structures as whole pieces. He added, “During the excavations last year, 202 artifacts were unearthed. After the work was done, we delivered them to the Muğla Museum. The structures here are spectacular. The findings already provide us important data about their history.” 


Excavation and restoration in 2016 

Söğüt said the Beylics Bath in the ancient city would be opened to tourists with the “Stratonikeia beylics era Seljuk bath relief, restitution and restoration” project. 

“The top of the 600-year-old Beylics Bath will be covered with glass to prevent damage and visitors will be able to visit the bath. The Şaban Ağa Mosque will be restored thanks to the support of the mayor. In this way, the mosque, the bath and the village square will be completely revived. We will continue working on the Emperors’ Temple this year. The ancient city is home to artifacts from every era,” the professor said. 

Söğüt said one of the pleasing developments was that Stratonikeia was included in the temporary list of the UNESCO World Heritage, and said, “This made us very happy. We will continue working for the permanent list. The construction of the reception center and the master plan of the city continue in collaboration with the General Directorate of the Cultural Heritages and Museums. When they are done, we will apply to the permanent list.” 


3-D technology 

When the reception center is finished, Söğüt said they expected to welcome more tourists in the ancient city. The most important part of the project is the reception center where tourists will enter the city and find useful information regarding the sites, according to Söğüt.

“When the works are done, people will be able to see many structures in the city. We have revived many parts of the city with 3-D [projections]. Visitors will see the Emperors’ Temple, the Western and Northern Street and the Gymnasium as a whole in the entrance of the city. They will like seeing the old structures with 3-D; this is why we ‘revive’ a structure in the city with 3-D every year,” Söğüt said.