Culture and Tourism Ministry provides financial support to archaeological excavations

ANKARA

Beşiktaş Meydanı’nda devam eden kazı çalışmalarında bugüne kadar kurgan tipi 69 mezar bulundu.

The total support the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry gives to archaeological excavations reached 533,700 Turkish Liras as of October this year. 

Within the scope of this support, the ministry allocated a total of 25 million liras in the 2018 program to support archaeological excavations carried out with the permission of the ministry. Until now, around 23 million liras of this allowance were transferred to the excavations.

 In addition to this allowance, 2,593,700 liras were allocated for workers’ wages from the current budget of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums and 5 million liras were transferred from the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) to excavations at dam sites. 

Thus, as of Oct. 12, the total amount transferred to the excavations in 2018 reached 30,533,700 liras. In the end of the year, the entire amount spent on the excavation works will be over 34 million liras. 

Last year, the ministry transferred a total of 37.8 million liras for the archaeological excavation works. 

Among the most important excavations carried out in Turkey are in the ancient city of Laodicea, which dates back to the 3rd century B.C. in the western province of Denizli, along with İzmir’s ancient city of Smyrna Agora from the 4th century B.C. and one of the most important historical values in the southeastern province of Gaziantep: The ancient city of Zeugma. 

Also, the ancient city of Stratonikeia in the western province of Muğla and the Metropolis in İzmir are among the most important examples of Turkish archaeological excavations, along with Aphrodisias in Aydın, Ephesus and Bergama in İzmir, Sagalassos in Burdur and Aslantepe in Malatya.