This year’s excavations at the Soli Pompeipolis Ancient Harbor, which is one of the most important and largest ports in the Eastern Mediterranean, dating back 1,800 years and almost completely under the sand, has come to an end. During the excavations carried out for the first time, an area of 70 meters was cleared this year, and 6 ingots belonging to the Roman period were found.
The excavation work in Soli Pompeipolis Ancient Port, which is the port of Soli Pompeiopolis Ancient City, which is located in the central Mezitli district of Mersin and constitutes one of the world historical heritages with its colonnaded street, mound, ancient harbor, aqueducts, bath and acropolis, has come to an end. Excavation at the Soli Pompeiopolis Ancient Harbor, which dates back to the 2nd century, began on 4 August. Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Letters, Head of the Department of Museology, Prof. Dr. The excavations, which started under the direction of Remzi Yagci, lasted 20 days.
During the excavations carried out for the first time, an area of 70 meters was cleared this year. Dr. Remzi Yagci made a statement to İhlas News Agency’s correspondent regarding the works started and ended for the first time this year. Prof. Dr. Remzi Yagci said that the port works included in the 2022 Soli Pompeipolis Excavation program took 20 days. Stating that they worked in an area of 70 meters this time, Yagci said, “The aim here was to reveal the structural details of the port.
The fact that the filling material was made with a special mortar and our investigations on the blocks there continue. In the meantime, some finds have been unearthed and this is very important. Roman nuggets are out. These are in the form of big nails, with a camber in the middle, we can say resentful. They are used either in the making of some iron tools or for some industrial design. This find was important. Because the Ancient Port of Soli Pompeipolis, one of the most important and largest ports in the Eastern Mediterranean, has truly monumental features.
“The port and the columned street were meeting”
Emphasizing that at the end of the excavations, they will reveal what kind of activities are in the port, Yagci said, “This work will continue in the coming years. A large part of the port is filled with sand. It will take a long time to remove this filling. It is a long-term project anyway. However, it is a fact that the port is full of sand. “We have archeological data on this. We can start a larger study and research in the port after these expropriation problems are resolved. Over the centuries, it means that the port has been filled for 1,800 years. This filling is due to the winds blowing from the southwest, sometimes in this region. It may have been filled due to tsunamis, which may be the result of severe earthquakes,” he said.
“This place can contribute a lot to cultural tourism”
Underlining that this ancient port should be fully uncovered for whatever reason, Yagci said, “This place needs to be combined with the colonnaded street. This place can contribute a lot to cultural tourism for Mersin and Turkey. If studies are started at the ancient ports at the same time, cultural tours can be organized here, in the inner city. Tours can be arranged. Many people who are interested in cultural tourism can visit here by land and sea. It is very important in this respect. This could be a step that will increase the brand value of Mersin as a city,” he said.
