Roman-era street discovered in Turkey

DİYARBAKIR

A 2,000-year-old Roman-era street has been discovered in southeastern Turkey. Currently, excavation to unearth it is being carried out in Amida Mound, known as the heart of Diyarbakir province.

The Amida Mound was home to many civilizations such as the Hurri-Mitannis, Urartians, Assyrians, Medes, Persians, Tigran the Great Kingdom, Romans, Sassanids, Byzantines, Umayyads, Abbasids, Safavids, Ayyubid dynasty, Marwanids, Seljuks, Ottomans, and Artuqids.

Professor İrfan Yıldız of Dicle University is heading the excavation amid strict measures against the coronavirus.

“Very interesting data continues to come from the west side of the mound we excavated. The street texture and structure of the period has started to emerge,” he said.

Yıldız noted that they expect to unearth many historical artifacts in the excavation over the year.

Yıldız said tourists using the Roman street would be able to visit the historical region of İçkale and be able to see streets from the Roman, Ottoman and Republican periods by 2022.