After 43-year search archeologists discover ancient temple of Zeus in southwestern Türkiye

By Suleyman Elcin

ANTALYA, Türkiye / ISTANBUL (AA) - A temple of Zeus was found after a 43-year search in the ancient city of Limyra in Antalya, along the Turkish Riviera, the head of the dig told Anadolu.

Efforts to find the temple, which was built in the classical era, have been ongoing since 1982.

"We also know clearly from written sources that during the Hellenistic and Roman Empires, the city's main god was Zeus. It was known that there was a temple, but the location was still unknown," said archaeologist Kudret Sezgin of Hitit University in northern Türkiye, the Limyra excavation coordinator.

Sezgin emphasized that the discovery led to the reconsideration of some previous theories about the city's structure.

"The temple's front facade is 15 meters (49 feet) wide. The wall was built over the temple during the Byzantine era. A sacred chamber lies beneath the privately owned orange grove outside the wall,” he said, adding that the dig team will continue excavations after expropriation work.

He also noted that ceramics found in the temple indicate that the city dates back 5,000 years.

"It has been concluded that the monumental gate, called the propylon, which has been identified under the Roman Street for many years, was the gate that provided access to the temple's sacred area during the classical era. We have also concluded that the wall structure, known as the Hellenistic Era city wall, served as the temple's perimeter protection wall," he said.