New term excavations start in Elaiussa Sebaste ancient city in southern Turkey

By Dervis Comez

MERSIN, Turkey (AA) - The 27th term excavations have started in the Elaiussa Sebaste ancient city in Mersin, southern Turkey.

A team of 36 Turkish and Italian experts led by Marcello Barbanera, an archeology professor at the University of Rome La Sapienza, launched the seasonal excavations in the ancient city in Mersin’s Ayas district.

With years of work, many structures have been unearthed during these excavations, Barbanera told reporters at the site.

He said the excavations have been completed in most of the public and religious buildings unearthed in the ancient city, adding that the work for the Archeopark project has begun to attract tourists to the area.

The ancient city Elaiussa Sebaste includes a necropolis, ancient theatre, cistern, and aqueducts from the Byzantine and Roman periods.

*Writing by Busra Nur Cakmak in Ankara.