At the workshop located, every stage of production from crushing olives to collecting the oil can be seen through the remains.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has announced that the restoration of an olive oil workshop dating back to the 5th-6th centuries A.D. has been completed at the ancient city of Syedra in Antalya as part of the “Legacy for the Future” project.
In a post on his social media account, Ersoy said another significant stage of the restoration and excavation works carried out at Syedra had been completed.
Stating that the olive oil workshop located on the southwestern street of the ancient city had been brought back to life, Ersoy said:
“Within the scope of our Legacy for the Future project, we have completed the restoration of the olive oil workshop dating back to the 5th-6th centuries A.D. at the ancient city of Syedra and brought it back to life. This important structure, which comprehensively reflects ancient olive oil production technology with its crushing stones, pressing system and liquid separation chambers, carries the traces of our production culture spanning thousands of years into the present day.
“I would like to thank all employees of our General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, our excavation team, scientists and everyone who contributed to this valuable work. We will continue our determined efforts to protect Anatolia’s cultural heritage and carry it into the future based on scientific data.”
Excavations at the ancient city of Syedra have uncovered numerous olive oil production facilities. The crushing stones, architectural elements belonging to pressing systems and liquid separation chambers found in these workshops reveal that olive oil was produced in the city according to ancient production standards.
In antiquity, olive oil was among the essential products used not only for nutrition but also for lighting, medicine, cleaning and religious rituals.
At the workshop located on the southwestern street, every stage of production, from crushing olives to collecting the oil, can be traced through the remains.
The olive oil workshop, uncovered during excavations in 2024, was reorganized after restoration works were completed in 2025.
