Ancient Roman road uncovered in southern Türkiye

MERSİN

A section of a 2,000-year-old Roman road that once linked the Mediterranean provinces of Antalya and Antioch and extended into present-day Syria has been uncovered in Mersin’s Erdemli district following a conservation and documentation project.

The restored section, located between the neighborhoods of Kızkalesi and Ayaş, also includes three early Christian churches, making the area one of the region’s most significant sacred landscapes from the Roman period.

The work was carried out under the supervision of Associate Professor Şener Yıldırım, head of the Korykos Castle Excavation and Survey Team and a faculty member in Mersin University’s Department of Art History. The project was coordinated by the Erdemli Governor’s Office, Erdemli Municipality and the Erdemli Chamber of Commerce, with sponsorship from Eğriçayır Honey.

Authorities have begun preparing a new project to restore the ancient road, which has now been fully cleared between Kızkalesi and Ayaş and is expected to become a cultural tourism route.

“The documentation phase of the project has been completed,” Yıldırım said. “The next step is to prepare a restoration project. If funding can be secured, it will be possible to repair and restore the road.”

Describing the route as one of the Roman Empire’s principal transportation corridors, Yıldırım said it connected the empire’s center with its eastern provinces.

“This is one of the main roads leading from the heart of the empire to its eastern provinces. It begins in Antalya and follows the entire coastline through Antioch before continuing into Syria,” he said.

According to Yıldırım, the section being documented and prepared for restoration linked the ancient cities of Korykos and Elaiussa Sebaste and is among the best-preserved surviving stretches of the historic route.

He added that the road, which dates back approximately 2,000 years, can already be visited in small groups and is expected to become an important segment of the Cilicia Marathon route once restoration is completed.

The preserved section extends for about two kilometers.

Erdemli Governor Aydın Tetikoğlu described the site as an attractive walking route overlooking both the Mediterranean Sea and the surrounding mountains.

“You can see the sea on one side and the mountains and greenery on the other,” he said.
Erdemli Mayor Mustafa Kara said the municipality plans to continue working with its partners to open the site fully to tourism.

“We have completed the cleaning of this 2,000-year-old Roman road. Our work will continue with new projects so that it can become part of the region’s tourism offerings,” he said.

Mustafa Karagöz, president of the Erdemli Chamber of Commerce, said the district is home to more than 200 archaeological sites and stressed the importance of protecting its cultural heritage.

He noted that conservation efforts have also been carried out at nearby historical sites, including Kızkalesi, Sebaste and Akkale, adding that preserving the newly revealed Roman road is a shared responsibility for local authorities, tourism stakeholders and the public.