17 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The Ancient City of Miletos’s “Sacred Cave” Opened to Visitors

In the ancient city of Miletos, which had an important place in the advancement of philosophy, art, and science in Antiquity, the “sacred cave” belonging to the cult of Asclepius, the god of health, was opened to visitors.

The Ancient City of Miletos is an ancient port city in 20 miles (30 km) south of the present city of Aydın, Turkey, on the coast of western Turkey. It lies near the mouth of the Büyükmenderes River.

About the “sacred cave” in Miletos Ancient City, Aydın Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Umut Tuncer told reporters that the existence of the cave under the theater in the ancient city was forgotten over time due to the vegetation in front of it and the closing of the way to enter.

Tuncer stated that after the discovery made during the excavations, work was carried out in the cave and it was estimated that the water, which was believed to be sacred in the past, was found in the cave. Tuncer said now that this water could not be reached.

The Ancient City of Miletos sacred cave
Photo: Ferdi Uzun/AA

Head of the Miletos Ancient City Excavations Committee, Prof Dr. Christof Berns from the Department of Archeology at the University of Hamburg, explained that they found that the rocks were processed in the cave, which is a natural formation, in the 3rd century BC, and added, “We found votive objects in the cave. That’s why we think it’s a holy place.” he said.

Miletos Museum Director Baran Aydın gave the following information about the cave:

The reason why it is called a “sacred cave” is that there are some traces of the cult of Asklepios, known as the god of health. Sculpture fragments were found. Just like the drinks that heal people from various diseases in Bergama Asklepion, the existence of using water can be considered. Maybe the front of the theater was the harbor at that time. Perhaps the arriving sailors were receiving treatment here. Although these are of course question marks, some of the historical artifacts we have give strong clues in this direction.”

Miletus, founded by the Greeks on the coast of western Anatolia, is remembered in history as the birthplace of mathematician Thales, as well as Anaxagoras and Anaximander, two prominent philosophers. Miletus was also one of Ionia’s oldest and most significant Greek towns, with four harbors to its credit.

Source: AA

Related Articles

The longest inscription in Saudi Arabia turned out to belong to the last king of Babylon

25 July 2021

25 July 2021

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage has announced the discovery of a 2,550-year-old inscription etched on basalt stone...

Neolithic Twin of Knossos: First 8,800-Year-Old Architectural Remains Unearthed on Gökçeada

28 August 2025

28 August 2025

Archaeologists excavating the Uğurlu-Zeytinlik Mound on Türkiye’s westernmost island in the Aegean Sea, Gökçeada (Imbros), have uncovered something never before...

The first and largest astronomical observatory of the 6th century BC discovered in Egypt’s Kafr El-Sheikh

24 August 2024

24 August 2024

Archaeologists in Egypt unveiled the first and largest astronomical observatory from the 6th century BCE in the Buto Temple at...

Europe’s earliest cities had a predominantly vegetarian diet

27 December 2023

27 December 2023

The population of the Copper Age mega-sites in what is now Ukraine and Moldova had a predominantly vegetarian diet. In...

The circular-shaped structure unearthed in Uşaklı mound may point to the holy Hittite city of Zippalanda

27 December 2022

27 December 2022

Italian-Turkish team of archaeologists led by the University of Pisa unearthed a mysterious circle-shaped structure from the Hittite era at...

5,000-year-old Ceremonial Temple Discovered in Peru

9 July 2024

9 July 2024

Archaeologists from the Peru Ministry of Culture have discovered an ancient ceremonial temple complex at Los Paredones de la Otra...

Unusual Iron Age Female Grave Found in Pryssgården, Sweden

3 November 2024

3 November 2024

In an Iron Age cemetery in Sweden, archaeologists found a woman’s grave buried with a small needle and an iron...

A 1700-year-old Roman water tunnel dug into the mountain was discovered in Adıyaman province in southeastern Türkiye

13 September 2023

13 September 2023

It was revealed that in the Besni district of Adıyaman province, located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, the...

Mystery ax discovered off the coast of Arendal of Norway

26 July 2021

26 July 2021

Researchers have discovered a find that could be a first for Norwegian archeology. A hollow ax, which researchers believe dates...

City swallowed by sea now center of boat tours

10 September 2023

10 September 2023

The Kekova region, or Sunken City, which has remained under the sea after two major earthquakes in the sixth century...

Unlocking the Secrets of Jersey’s Le Câtillon II: A Celtic Settlement Discovered Near the Enigmatic Hoard

12 March 2025

12 March 2025

Recent archaeological investigations near Jersey, an island in the English Channel situated just off the coast of France, have unveiled...

Ritual Sacrifice of Pregnant Woman: Ecuador may Reflect the Community’s Fear of Her Power

28 January 2025

28 January 2025

In a remarkable archaeological find in Ecuador, researchers have uncovered the rich burial of a pregnant woman and her fetus,...

Thousands of ignored ‘Nummi Minimi’ Coins Found in the Ancient City of Marea in Egypt

11 December 2023

11 December 2023

Numismatists from the Faculty of Archaeology at the University of Warsaw have examined thousands of previously ignored small coins (Nummi...

Giant handaxe discovered at Ice Age site in Kent, UK

8 July 2023

8 July 2023

Researchers in Kent in southeastern England have discovered a prehistoric handaxe so big it would have been almost impossible to...

Early Imperial cemetery in Nîmes, in the south of France

4 October 2022

4 October 2022

Inrap archaeologists excavating at Nîmes in southern France have uncovered a cemetery dating to the first to second centuries AD...