11 November 2024 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

500-year-old board game discovered carved into a stone slab in a Polish castle

12 September 2023

12 September 2023

A board game carved into stone was discovered by archaeologists investigating the castle at Ćmielów in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship in...

Queen Kubaba: Some 4,500 years ago, a woman rose to power and reigned over one of the largest civilizations in ancient Mesopotamia

28 December 2023

28 December 2023

Is it possible to say who was the first queen in history? Given the size and diversity of human civilization,...

2,000-Year-Old Mysterious Kangju Burial Mound Filled with Gold Jewelry and Mirror Found in Kazakhstan

2 June 2024

2 June 2024

Archaeologists in Kazakhstan have unearthed gold jewelry, arrowheads, and a large, bronze mirror from three burial mounds in the Tolebaitobe...

5500-year-old city gate unearthed in Israel -the earliest known in the Land of Israel-

15 August 2023

15 August 2023

The Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Tuesday that archaeologists have discovered the earliest known ancient gate in the land of...

Feline and anthropomorphic 29 new geoglyphs discovered in Peru

21 December 2023

21 December 2023

In Ica, a region south of Lima on the coast of Peru, 29 geoglyphs were found by an archaeologist from...

It may have been designed in Nevali Çori before Göbeklitepe was built

10 October 2021

10 October 2021

Göbeklitepe, Nevali Çori, Karahantepe, and Taştepeler, which will make us rethink what we know about human history, change the information...

Syria uncovered a large intact mosaic that dates back to the Roman era

12 October 2022

12 October 2022

Syria uncovered a large intact mosaic that dates back to the Roman era, in the central town of Rastan, describing...

INAH Archaeologists recover the coyote-man of Tacámbaro

26 January 2022

26 January 2022

Archaeologists win the coyote-man trial that lasted 30 years in Mexico. The litigation regarding the coyote-man of Tacámbaro, an important...

A protected Punic-Roman tower “Tal-Wilġa” has been turned into a building site

15 August 2021

15 August 2021

The Tal-Wilga tower, one of Malta’s Punic-Roman heritage sites, is in danger from construction work near it. The Superintendent of...

7,000 years ago the earliest evidence for the cultivation of a fruit tree came from the Jordan valley

17 June 2022

17 June 2022

Tel Aviv University and Jerusalem’s Hebrew University researchers have unraveled the earliest evidence for the domestication of a fruit tree....

Stone-arched tunnel discovered near Achaemenid dam in southern Iran

4 February 2022

4 February 2022

A cultural heritage protection team has recently discovered a stone-arched tunnel located near an Achaemenid embankment dam in southern Iran....

Gate sanctuary discovered during the excavation of Archanes palace in Crete, belonging to the oldest civilisation in Europe

24 October 2024

24 October 2024

Recent excavations at the Archanes Minoan palace in Crete, belonging to the oldest civilisation in Europe, have revealed an important...

Beautiful’ Water-Nymph Marble Statue Found in Amastris ancient city

8 September 2023

8 September 2023

Excavations in the ancient city of Amastris, located in the Black Sea province of Bartın’s Amasra district, have unearthed a...

2,000-year-old Roman Military Sandal with Nails Found in Germany

25 June 2024

25 June 2024

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a 2,000-year-old Roman Military Sandal near an auxiliary Roman camp in Germany. Archaeologists from...

A Roman sarcophagus containing two skeletons was found in Bath, England

29 June 2021

29 June 2021

Stone walls, a Roman sarcophagus, and a cremation burial have been unearthed in a renovation project at the Bathwick Roman...