Turkey Holiday:
Anemurium Roman City

28 March 2006

On Tuesday, we took a drive east along the coastal road

The Roman city of Anemurium, established by the 4th century BC was abandonned in about 650 AD following Arabian invasions and the occupation of Cyprus by Arabs. Here we look up the hill through the Necropolis: about 350 of these tombs line the hillsides

More tombs. Visible upper-middle is the city wall.

The site has many mosaics, many "protected" from casual visitors and vandals by shingle, but one must wonder how much damage the constant covering and uncovering of the mosaics is doing.

One of the three bath-houses in Anemurium

More mosaics in the bath-house

A large mosaic, almost completely intact

A fresco in an alcove in the chapel of one of the tombs

Mosaic of Medusa on the ceiling of one of the tombs

More mosaics hidden under shingle

A dolphin

The Odeon - a theatre seating 900, used for musical performances. The larger amphitheatre is in much poorer condition.

View of the odeon from another of the bath-houses

The upper aqueduct carried water to the city

It is hard to capture the scale of the city, but this photo gives some idea of just how extensive and complete the remains are

Lucy with another uncovered mosaic

And the innocent piles of shingle which hide them from view

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