Work carried out at the ancient city of Syedra by Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University (ALKÜ) has received international support under the 2509 Bilateral Cooperation Support Program (Bosphorus), jointly run by TÜBİTAK and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. The project is also recorded as ALKÜ’s first international bilateral cooperation initiative.
Bearing traces of the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Anatolian Seljuk periods, the site stands out with its stadium, theater, council building, baths, clean water infrastructure systems, pools, cisterns, colonnaded street, baptistery cave and olive oil workshops.
Results of applications submitted under the TÜBİTAK–French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs 2509 Bilateral Cooperation Support Program (Bosphorus), which aims to strengthen academic cooperation between Turkish and French archaeologists, have been announced. Among the eight projects selected for support is a study focusing on Syedra, one of Alanya’s major ancient cities.
The project, titled “Syedra in Cilicia (Seki, Alanya, Antalya): An Ancient City and Its Theater,” is being jointly conducted by Associate Professor Hasan Ertuğ Ergürer, a faculty member at ALKÜ’s Faculty of Tourism, and Dr. Jeanne Capelle from the École Normale Supérieure PSL University in France. With the announcement of the program results, the project was officially registered as ALKÜ’s first international bilateral cooperation project.
Archaeological excavations and research at Syedra, located in Antalya’s Alanya district, are continuing with the permits and support of the Culture and Tourism Ministry. The work is led by a team headed by Associate Professor Ergürer. In recent years, the excavations have been supported under the Ministry’s “Heritage for the Future Project,” evolving into a multidisciplinary effort with the participation of expert researchers from Türkiye and abroad.
Excavations and studies at the ancient city’s theater are being carried out by Dr. Capelle, who is known for her doctoral research on theaters in Asia Minor (ancient Anatolia). Through this international cooperation, the project aims to enable a more comprehensive evaluation of scientific data related to Syedra.
Focus on scientific publications and research
The main objective of the project is to produce a comprehensive scientific book addressing the historical development, phases of use and architectural features of the Syedra theater, incorporating all findings obtained during the excavations. In the long term, the project also aims to reveal new scientific data beyond the theater structure through archaeobotanical studies, including analyses of ancient pollen and seeds, as well as research on ancient Greek inscriptions.
ALKÜ Rector Professor Kenan Ahmet Türkdoğan said he has been closely following the excavation works at Syedra and noted that a significant stage has been reached so far. Stating that the completion of the excavations would provide the country with an important new center, Türkdoğan said: “As ALKÜ and Alanya, we have a special interest in Syedra. Having Syedra selected for support under the Bosphorus project will increase its international visibility. Achieving such success while the excavations we attach great importance to are ongoing has made us proud. Syedra will become one of Alanya’s and our country’s key tourism and history centers. I thank our excavation director, Associate Professor Hasan Ertuğ Ergürer, and Dr. Jeanne Capelle for their dedicated efforts and wish them continued success.”
Within the Bosphorus project, led by universities from Türkiye and France, eight collaborative studies were selected for support. Leading universities in Türkiye, including Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul University, Sabancı University, Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University, İzmir Institute of Technology, Middle East Technical University and the Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center, are among those listed.
The “Syedra in Cilicia [Seki, Alanya, Antalya]: An Ancient City and Its Theater” project, to be conducted by ALKÜ and the École Normale Supérieure PSL University, is expected to be closely followed by the international scientific community.
