French archaeologists to examine Stone Age inns in Black Sea province

SAMSUN - Anatolia News Agency

The inns from the Stone Age draw many visitors from around the world. AA photo

The inns where people of the Stone Age lived between 60,000 and 10,000 A.D. in the Black Sea province of Samsun’s Tekkeköy district became popular for archaeologists after being opened to tourism.

After a landscaping project carried out with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism by the Samsun Museum Directory, the inns from the Stone Age started having many visitors. The hazelnut garden in front of the inns was turned into a picnic area where the tourists could have a rest.

Not only tourists are interested in the inns; their history has also drawn the attention of archeologists.
French archaeologists have applied to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Arts in order to have an excavation in the area.

The mayor of Tekkeköy, Hayati Tekin, said that according to a scientific study from 1941, the inns were found to belong to the Stone Age people that lived between 60,000 and 10,000 A.D. The work done in order to make the inns a touristic place, started a year ago and the flora cleaning has finished. “The area of the inns was desolate but it was very important for the world. This is an area of 3,060 square meters, where the first of mankind had live. After the cleaning, many inns came out. There were three buildings used as homes before, around the inns. These houses are turned into museums of eras. The valley on the other side of the road has been turned into a popular excursion spot,” said Tekin.

“This place is a first degree archeological protected area. Right along with the inns, there is the Hittite Road and the Frig Castle. French archeologists have applied for the excavation to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. After the approval of the Ministry, the excavation would begin. The excavations could take 30 to 50 years due to the fact that the area is very large and old. This area will enlighten the history of mankind. Tekkeköy will be a place to draw the attention of everybody after these scientific discoveries,” said Tekin.