Located within the boundaries of Dilekkaya Mahallesi in Kozan district, Adana province, the Anazarbos Archaeological Site stands in the northeastern part of the Cilician Plain. When the Roman Empire brought the region under control in the 1st century BCE, the city began to flourish under its vassal king, Tarkondimotos. From the 1st century CE onward, it rapidly grew into one of Cilicia’s most important political and economic centers.

After Emperor Augustus’s visit, the city took the name Caesarea. In 204 CE it was elevated to “Metropolis” status and was granted the title “Neokoros” three times. Anazarbos preserves a multi‑layered urban identity, having been continuously inhabited during Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Armenian, and Mamluk periods. As the birthplace of the famous ancient physician Dioscorides, the city was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List in 2014 thanks to its rich cultural heritage.

^{Anazarbos (Turkish Museums)}

History

Anazarbos first emerges in history after Roman supremacy was established in Cilicia during the 1st century BCE. Following Pompey’s campaign against the pirates, control of the Ceyhan Basin was granted to Tarkondimotos—himself of pirate origin—under vassal‑king status. Although Hierapolis‑Castabala was initially chosen as capital, the favor Augustus showed Tarkondimotos during his visit raised Anazarbos’s prestige, and the city was renamed Caesarea.

In the late 2nd century CE the city supported Septimius Severus during Rome’s civil wars. In return, it gained the coveted neokoros title (right to host the imperial cult) between 198–203 CE, followed by the rank of Metropolisin 204 CE. The city also hosted games honoring the emperor under the titles Severeia Olympia Epineikia and Severeia Philadelphia. Monumental projects from this era—colonnaded avenues, a triumphal arch, a theater, an amphitheater, and a stadium—demonstrate its architectural growth.

Though sacked during Sasanian raids in the 3rd century CE, Anazarbos recovered and remained a major administrative hub of the eastern Mediterranean. Under Theodosius II, Cilicia was split in two, and Anazarbos became capital of the new province Cilicia Secunda. After the severe earthquakes of 525 and 561 CE, Emperors Justin I and Justinian I rebuilt much of the city.

In the 7th–8th centuries Anazarbos changed hands several times amid Arab‑Byzantine conflicts. Toward the end of the 11th century, Armenian princes fleeing the Seljuk advance seized the city, which became capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia under Thoros I. The Mamluk invasion of 1375 devastated Anazarbos, and it was subsequently abandoned as its strategic value waned.

Besides its administrative role, Anazarbos contributed to science: it was the birthplace of Dioscorides—whose five‑volume De Materia Medica underpins modern pharmacy—and of the poet Oppian.

Excavations

Scientific excavations began on 1 July 2013 under the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Initial work focused on cleaning and documenting the three‑arched triumphal gate (Alakapı) south of the city. Since 2015 the Adana Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, advised by Dr. Fatih Gülşen of Çukurova University, has led further digs and restoration.

Roughly 500 carved blocks that had fallen from the arch in earthquakes were catalogued, mapped, numbered, and moved to a stone yard for eventual reconstruction. Core drillings up to 22.5 m deep helped assess the monument’s structural stability.

Running excavation and restoration in tandem has proven vital to safeguarding Anazarbos. Point‑cloud animations and 3‑D models produced for Alakapı now guide display and reconstruction strategies.

^{Anazarbos Archaeological Site (Turkish Museums)}

Architectural Fabric

Covering about 4,000 decares, Anazarbos follows a monumental Roman city plan. A 34 m‑wide, 2.7 km‑long north–south avenue—regarded as the eastern Mediterranean’s widest ancient street—served as its Decumanus Maximus. This colonnaded road terminates at Alakapı, a three‑arched triumphal gate (22.5 m long, 10.5 m high) erected in the 3rd century CE to celebrate Rome’s victories over Persia. Six black‑granite Corinthian columns, reliefs, and pedimental sculptures make the gate a showpiece.

^{Anazarbos Archaeological Site (Adana İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü)}

Major monuments include a theater, amphitheater, baths, aqueducts, a stadium, and temples. Anazarbos is one of few Anatolian cities with three amphitheaters—one of them among the best‑preserved. Its 25 km aqueduct, built under Domitian (92 CE), ranks among antiquity’s engineering marvels.

^{Floor Mosaic (Adana İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü)}

Four churches have been identified. The centrally located Church of the Apostles (about 56 × 28 m) displays Late Antique style with spolia, a decorated apse, and marble columns. A southwest cruciform church with eleven doors is especially grand, while a rock‑cut church lies in the necropolis. In the upper city, the Church of the Armenian Kings features a three‑aisled basilica plan and a surviving Armenian inscription.

Northwest of the city rises Anazarbos Fortress—the largest in Çukurova—combining military and religious functions. Its 1,500 m defensive walls, reinforced by 20 towers every 70 m, enclose chapels, cisterns, altars, and remnants from Byzantine, Arab, and Armenian repairs.

^{Anazarbos Castle (Çukurova Kalkınma Ajansı)}

UNESCO Status

In 2014 the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye placed Anazarbos on UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List for its multi‑layered cultural fabric, monumental architecture, and two millennia of continuous settlement. The site meets UNESCO cultural criteria (iii) and (iv): Criterion (iii), Anazarbos uniquely showcases cultural interaction among Anatolia’s successive civilizations. Criterion (iv), Monuments such as the triumphal arch (Alakapı), the 34 m‑wide main street, the amphitheater, the Circus Maximus (stadium), and the 25 km aqueduct exemplify Roman engineering and architecture.

A dedicated management plan safeguards authenticity, integrity, and sustainability through public‑university partnerships. Its Tentative List status boosts visibility and promises regional economic benefits via cultural tourism.