Ancient City Of Isaura And Zengibar Castle Used By The Hittites, Persians, And Romans

Conny Waters - AncientPages.com - The ancient city of Isaura - inhabited by 10,000 people during the Roman period - is home to the Zengibar Castle, which was built at a strategic point, at an altitude of 1,850 meters (6,070 feet) in the Taurus Mountains.

The ruins of Isaura - located in the Central Anatolian province of Konya, Turkey - include impressive walls, bastions, theater, a triumphal arch, and rock tombs. Isaura was once a Roman and Byzantine era town in southern Turkey.

Image credit: AA photo

The ancient Isaura is described as the "Ephesus of Konya," and holds the potential of becoming a prime site for local and foreign visitors once more of its historical riches are unearthed, writes Daily Sabah.

The ancient city of Isaura, estimated to have been built in the Byzantine era some 2,000 years ago, is located 16 kilometers away from the Konya city center on an 1860-meter-high hill.

The Zengibar Castle in the ancient city surrounded by steep cliffs overlooks Konya and the Taurus mountains, and the fortress was used by the Hittites, Persians, and Romans, located in the ancient region of Lycaonia. The castle is one of the most important examples of Roman stonemasonry.

The stones used in the construction of the castle's 3.5-meter-thick fortifications were brought from the stone quarry at the summit of the mountain. However, it still remains a mystery of how the massive, rectangular stones were cut to millimetric perfection thousands of years ago.

One part of its wall and bastions, which surrounded the ancient city of Isaura, still stands and will be a great attraction for tourists. A 4-meter-high gate topped by an arch welcomes visitors.

The gate was constructed between two towers, one of which has been completely destroyed, in a pentagonal and hexagonal architectural structure to the south of the castle.

The ruins have much more to offer in the form of the basilica and the triumphal arch. The basilica is the largest building in the city and was later used as a church. Some of the stones in the city feature many stone rubbings of images such as wreaths, helmets, knee pads, swords, shields, and arrows.

Hacılar neighborhood headman Hüseyin Bardakçı said that despite the destruction the ancient city has gone through, most of the castle ramparts and churches have survived until recently.

Bardakçı said tourists coming to the ancient city want Isaura to be completely unearthed. “First of all, archaeological excavation must be carried out here. The region can be an important destination with its magnificent structures unearthed. The ancient city can attract more visitors," he said.

Written by Conny Waters - AncientPages.com Staff Writer