UNESCO-Listed Site Falling Apart In Geyre

The ancient city of Aphrodisias, located by the village of Geyre in Aydın province, is falling apart and disappearing due to neglect.

The ancient city was placed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) World Heritage list in 1987, and it was ranked among the top 10 ancient cities that are facing the threat of destruction in 2004. At the ancient site, where there is a theatre, stadium, agora and assembly hall, the paths between the buildings have deteriorated to such an extent that they have nearly disappeared. Today the stadium, which is the largest remaining in the Middle East, running 262 meters long and with a capacity for 30,000 people, is in disrepair. Surrounded by shrubs and trees, the only way to reach the historic stadium is by dirt roads.

Additionally, the ancient city has been undergoing excavations for nearly 53 years but has not received any restoration work in the process. A museum official expressed concerns for the future of the site, stating: "The state of Aphrodisias is deplorable. Excavations began in 1961, and now 53 years have passed with no restoration."

Famed Turkish-Armenian photographer described his exploration of the ancient site in a documentary produced by CNN Türk. He explained: “It was 1958, the last days of [Prime Minister] Adnan Menderes. I went to go meet with the governor of Aydın. I said, 'Menderes is going to give an opening ceremony for a dam, send me there so I can take pictures.' The chauffeur told me, ‘I know a shortcut, let's go from there.' When taking the shortcut, though, we got lost… We came across the ancient site, and there were beautiful lamps lighting up the ancient city. There was history living and breathing there in that city; I'd never seen anything like it before!”

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)