London, August 4 (HNA) – A team of Turkish archaeologists have been busy since 2020 performing excavations at one of western Turkey’s richest historical and cultural sites, according to the Ancient Origins.
Within the borders of the coastal village of Akyaka, located on the Gulf of Gökova in the southwestern Turkish province of Muğla, they have been searching through ruins associated with the ancient city of Idyma.
This important settlement in Western Anatolia was a Greek city-state founded by emigrants from ancient Greece, who created multiple settlements in the area. Now the clear outlines of a Byzantine castle found at the Akyaka site have been publicized in photos and the implications are significant.
It is believed Idyma may have been founded as long ago as 700 BC, and the archaeologists are trying to learn more about various cultures who occupied the city throughout its existence.
So far, their explorations have uncovered a variety of fascinating ruins that appear to have connections to different time periods.
While the focus of the project is on the first millennium BC Carians, some of the most significant excavation work has been conducted on a structure that was built in a later era.
The medieval castle’s Byzantine-era builders clearly chose this hillside location based on strategic considerations. The hilltop spot is ideally suited for defence, as it offers a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape while remaining difficult to access for invaders arriving from the sea on the Azmak Creek. It is believed the site of the castle was once the city of Idyma’s acropolis, making it a central area that needed defending.