The ancient city of Anazarbos (Ἀναζαρβός, Turkish: Anavarza in the Kozan region of the southern province of Adana survived with very little damage from February's devastating earthquakes in eastern Turkey.
In Adana, 11 buildings collapsed and dozens of buildings were damaged. The castle walls and historical buildings of the ancient city, which had some cracks at the triumphal arch gate, were not damaged by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake and aftershocks.
Built thousands of years ago and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ancient city of Anazarbos, located in the Dilekkaya district, stands out for its magnificent gate and walls, as well as the world's first two-lane road.
Excavations and restoration work have been taking place for years. This year, traces of the palace-bath complex were found in the ancient city along with many parts, such as the two-room brick bath, the columns of the palaestra, the bases of the columns, the capitals and the shops.
Known as the "Invincible City", the ancient city attracts attention with its colonnaded street, as well as its magnificent crown gate and walls. It houses a theatre, an amphitheatre, a stadium and a colonnaded street 2,700 metres long and 34 metres wide.
The gate called the Triumphal Arch, which was built to commemorate the victory of the Romans in the ancient city against the Persians in the third century, is one of the most important elements of this place.
The Triumphal Arch, consisting of three arches, eight legs and six columns, is one of the largest monumental city gates in Anatolia.
Fatih Gülşen, head of Anazarbos excavations, said that after the earthquake, archaeologists from the excavation team examined the damage and reported that the ancient city survived the earthquakes with little damage, as it has survived many devastating earthquakes.
It was reported that the cracks in some parts of the structures will be repaired soon by the restoration team.
Ziya Şimşek, who lives in the area of the ancient city of Anazarbos, said that his family has lived in the area for three generations, saying, “We have been living for years. This is the third time we have experienced a major earthquake, as far as I know."
"But the ancient city suffered little damage during this earthquake, even though it is thousands of years old."
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