7,000-Year-Old ‘Immortal City’ Of Misis – Excavations Shed Light On Its Fall

AncientPages.com - At one time, the 7,000-year-old Misis (Mopsuestia), located in the southern province of Adana,was known as the immortal city and had up to 100,000 inhabitants; now has a population of just a few thousand and it is not a city anymore but only a village known as Yakapinar.

Misis (Mopsouestia) is located in the southern province of Adana, south-central Turkey; the region, which is is prone to major earthquakes and one of them took place on 27 June 1998 damaging several urban areas including the city of Misis.

Misis antique city - part of the historical Silk Road - was a place of settlement from the time of the Hittites right through the Ottoman period.

Its history begins with Misis Mound which dates back to Neolitic Age,” according to the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture & Tourism.

“Misis is said to be founded by Mopsos, one of the heroes of Troy. It was captured by Hititians, Assyrians, Macedonians and Selevkos and it became an important place in Roman and Byzantine ages. It was reconstructed during Abbasian period in A.D. 8th century.”

Some 7,000 years after its founding, artifacts and pieces of ruins unearthed in excavations at the site are now revealing the traces of antiquity and shed light on the history of the region.
Thus Misis is once again in focus because of its rich history.

"As part of a project titled “The Infinite City: Misis,” made by Yuregir Municipality, excavations have been continuing in the area, headed by Professor Anna Lucia of the National Research Council at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient Mediterranean and Professor Giovanni Salmeri of Pisa University.
Structures such as city walls, stadiums, caravanserais and theaters are being unearthed during the a rchaeological works in the ancient city, which was first settled seven millennia ago.

As well as the artifacts underground, unearthed mosaics, an ancient stone bridge, city walls, aqueducts, baths, ancient stone tombs and the Havraniye Caravanserai make the city unique and significant.

Salmeri said excavation work on the area was being carried out by expert teams from Italy," according to Hurriyet Daily News.

The Pisa University professor said Misis was a very old city and that they had found remains from the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, early Hittite, Roman and Byzantine eras.

“People and history are living together here. This place will become a culture and archaeological park in two or three years,” Salmeri added.

“We have found pieces from the Neolithic age. Our analyses show that they are from 7,000 years ago. The ancient city of Misis hosted various civilizations,” he said, adding that the second stage of this year’s works would end in the next few days.

Among many discoveries are the city's beautiful floor mosaics belonging to a basilica located within the boundaries of the Misis Ancient City and these can be viewed at the nearby Misis Mosaic Museum.

The ancient city was discovered in 1956 and the mosaic area was revealed by Professor Dr. Theodor Bosset and Dr. Ludwig Budde from a German archaeology team who were carrying out excavations at that time on the Misis Mound.

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