28 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A Polish diplomat in Turkey has unravels the enigma of a long-lost ancient city

Robert D. Rokicki, a diplomat in the Polish embassy in Ankara used a unique method of “histracking” to find the location of the lost ancient city of Thebasa in south-central Anatolia.

 Polish diplomat found Thebasa in 2021 in the Pinarkaya village of southern Karaman province.

Rokicki told, “In fact, I was looking for a different place related to the popular legend of the seven sleepers, Thebasa’s discovery was a bit accidental.”

He added that he “looked around” because historical and archaeological puzzles have been his passion for many years. Although he is an economist by education, he also studied art history at the Jagiellonian University.

Over the last two centuries, many scholars and travelers attempted in vain to find this city. Among them was a famous British author, adventurer, and statesperson Gertrud Bell.

The last known proposal of Thebasa’s position was submitted by an Austrian academician Gertrud Laminger-Pascher in 1991.

Taurus Mountains
Taurus Mountains

The city of Thebasa occupies a small but distinctive place in history and according to Roman geographer Pliny, it lay in the Taurus mountains and was one of the most prominent cities of the province of Lycaonia, a large region in the interior of Asia Minor.

Rokicki said Thebasa is not Troy, but played some role in history. He said that he happened to discover it by accident while trekking through the wild landscapes of Anatolia.

“I can freely perform my favorite way of tourism here, which I call ‘histracking’ – off-road hiking in search of historical places. It combines natural and cultural discovery. Turkey is the world’s best destination for this kind of activity, as it is rich in historical monuments, natural wonders and provides a friendly environment,” he said.

According to Rokicki’s research, Thebasa and its castle gained new significance after the Muslim conquest of Cilicia, when it became one of the crucial fortresses on the eastern border of Byzantium.

Polish diplomat found Thebasa in 2021 in the Pinarkaya village of southern Karaman province.
Polish diplomat found Thebasa in 2021 in the Pinarkaya village of southern Karaman province.

“In 793, Thebasa surrendered to Abdurrahman bin Abdalmalik’s army due to water scarcity; in 805 it was restored on the initiative of Emperor Nikephoros I, and in 806 was destroyed during the great campaign of caliph Harun ar-Rashid,” he explained.

“Due to the scanty and ambiguous information, the city has been searched for in various places, often very distant from one another,” it added.

According to Professor Stephen Mitchell, one of the greatest researchers of Asia Minor, a fellow of the British Academy and honorary secretary of the British Institute at Ankara, the study resolves a long-standing riddle of Asia Minor historical geography and helps to understand some previously intractable problems of roads and communication routes between Konya and Adana.

“His (Robert D. Rokicki’s) work adds a whole new chapter to the story of the conflict between the Byzantines and the Arabs in the 10th and 11th centuries,” he said.

Thebasa has been searched for almost two centuries with at least eight different locations considered. Its position away from the main, or rather known routes, concealed it not only from assailants but from scholars and travelers as well.

Cover Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

Related Articles

Remarkably Preserved Bronze Age Urns, Thousands of Years Old, Unearthed in Germany

13 May 2025

13 May 2025

What appeared to be an ordinary stretch of County Road 17 between the towns of Moisburg and Immenbeck has turned...

Archaeologists Unearthed Third Greatest Fire Temple Existing in Ancient Iran’s Sassanid Era

11 July 2022

11 July 2022

Archaeologists have unearthed ruins of what they believe to be the third-greatest fire temple in ancient Iran during the Sassanid...

New Research Reveals Previously Unknown Aspects of the Construction, Use, and Ritual Significance of a Neolithic Rondel Found in Poland

12 December 2024

12 December 2024

An archaeological excavation at Nowe Objezierze in north-western Poland has uncovered a rondel dating to around 4800 BC, offering new...

Rare clay figurine found in Italian Cave dating back 7000 years

26 July 2023

26 July 2023

Archaeologists from Sapienza University of Rome discovered a figure with female features in the Battifratta cave, near Poggio Nativo in...

A 2600-year-old Clay Pot was Repurposed As Trash Bin in An Iranian Museum

13 November 2023

13 November 2023

A clay pot dating back to the 2600-year-old Medes period is now serving as a trash bin in a museum...

Sensational find in Ephesus: more than 1,400-year-old district discovered

29 October 2022

29 October 2022

During this year’s excavations at Ephesus in Turkey, archaeologists from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (AW) discovered an incredibly well-preserved...

1st Century BCE Medusa Mask Mold Discovered in Ancient Finziade, Sicily

24 January 2025

24 January 2025

At the Finziade archaeological site in the Sicilian town of Licata, archaeologists have discovered a mask mold that could represent...

Ancient Agora Discovered in Hyllarima: Shops to Be Excavated in the Heart of the City

29 June 2025

29 June 2025

A major archaeological discovery has been made in the ancient city of Hyllarima in southwestern Türkiye—the city’s central agora has...

Hellenic and Roman statue heads unearthed in Knidos

9 December 2021

9 December 2021

Hellenic and Roman sculpture heads were unearthed in the ancient Carian settlement Knidos, located in the Datça district of Muğla...

Unsolvable Megalithic Mystery of ancient Greek “Dragon Houses”

8 January 2025

8 January 2025

The Dragon Houses of Euboea, which probably dates to the Preclassical period of ancient Greece, are one of the historical...

The Sedgeford Anglo-Saxon malting complex may be the largest ever discovered in the UK

23 July 2023

23 July 2023

As archaeological excavations resume on a hill in Sedgeford, near Hunstanton, a seaside town in Norfolk, England, now more evidence...

The Mysterious Origins of the Cerne Abbas Giant Finally Revealed

3 January 2024

3 January 2024

There’s a huge chalk image of a man with a powerful erection and no clothes on his butt located in...

One of the oldest known mosques in the world uncovered in Israel

23 June 2022

23 June 2022

A team of Israeli archaeologists has discovered what is one of the oldest known mosques in the world. Israeli archaeologists...

The Mysterious Prehistoric Underwater Structure Beneath Lake Michigan

6 February 2024

6 February 2024

A prehistoric structure reminiscent of England’s iconic Stonehenge has been uncovered in Grand Traverse Bay, an arm of Lake Michigan...

Delikkemer Aqueduct: A Roman Engineering Wonder Along the Lycian Way

17 May 2025

17 May 2025

Hidden among the lush forests of southwestern Turkey, the Delikkemer Aqueduct stands as a testament to ancient Roman ingenuity. Located...