Ancient cities of Turkiye: On the marbled paths of history

As earthquakes shook some cities in our country, the Philippines, over the past week, we found ourselves marveling at the kind of architecture and technology of the time which has left Turkiye filled with ancient cities that live on in human memory.

Among over a hundred documented ancient archeological sites in Turkiye, we walked in five: the Klazomenai Ancient City in Urla; the Hierapolis Ancient City with its famed Pamukkale Travertines in Denizli; the Kybira Ancient City in Burdur; the Perge Ancient City in Antalya; and Side by the Mediterranean Sea in the same province.

Most visitors are familiar with some of the most well-known sites, including the biblical places in Ephesus and the poetic paths in Troy.

A Turkish hotelier in Antalya even told this writer that the most astonishing place he would recommend is Göbeklitepe, which is considered “the world’s oldest known temple,” and underground cities like Derinkuyu. We are talking of centuries ago, and they even have the caves that bear markings of the earliest humans.

To step into worlds that thrived in the earliest civilizations offers a kind of magical experience that is vastly different from and cannot be replicated by theme parks or city tours.

And as we gazed at the original stone paths, mosaic tiles, marbled columns and stone walls for theaters, baths and agoras, we wondered at how the preservation of history and culture consistently remains a top priority for the Turkish government, with the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism working to promote the rich heritage, gastronomy and natural beauty of their country to both local and intenstional markets.

We learned how ancient cities, especially during the Greek and Roman eras, used “dense wood dowels and metal alloy clips between stone blocks in their columns to allow for slight movement during tremors,” as our guide helped explain, his excitement at every new development in the sites with ongoing excavations rubbing off on us.

Of course, while this short visit of ours whetted our curiosity for all the wonders waiting to be discovered in Turkiye, we soaked in the richness of the stories and the land in the places we visited.

Here is a look at some of them.