31 March 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The Light of the Patara Lighthouse will Shine Again After Centuries

The ancient lighthouse in Patara, built by Roman Emperor Nero and destroyed by natural disasters, has reached the final stages of reconstruction work, which involves rebuilding it from its ruins using original stones, and will once again illuminate the way for sailors.

Patara is an ancient city located in southwestern Türkiye, within Antalya Province, known for its rich history and archaeological significance. Once the capital of the Lycian League, Patara was an important port city in antiquity, serving as a major trade center and a hub for maritime activities.

The city is also famous for its well-preserved ruins, including a theater, temples, and the ancient lighthouse, which was built to guide sailors safely into the harbor. The lighthouse, a remarkable example of ancient engineering, is set to be restored and will once again illuminate the way for seafarers, highlighting Patara’s enduring legacy as a vital maritime location.

The restoration of Patara’s lighthouse had begun in 2020 as the year was declared the “Year of Patara” by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, in honor of the city that served as the capital of the Lycian League for many years.

Following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s declaration of 2020 as the “Year of Patara,” efforts to restore the nearly 2,000-year-old lighthouse have reached their final stages.

Excavations around the approximately 26-meter-tall lighthouse, which was destroyed by natural disasters, uncovered thousands of original building stones. These stones were meticulously processed in a “stone hospital” established in the region after the project was prepared.

Patara Ancient City Lighthouse. Credit: Bekir Bektaş/AA
Patara Ancient City Lighthouse. Credit: Bekir Bektaş/AA

The stones, which were individually examined and reinforced by experts, were lifted with cranes and placed on the lighthouse’s podium, which is 4 meters high. With the completion of the dome of the lighthouse, which features an inscription stating, “I am Emperor Nero. I built this lighthouse for the safety of sailors,” along with a dolphin relief, the majority of the work on the lighthouse has been completed.

“The lighthouse stood for 1,300 years.”

Dr. Şevket Aktaş, the head of the Patara Ancient City Excavation, told AA reporters that the original stones of the lighthouse were uncovered in 2004 during work led by Prof. Dr. Havva İşkan Işık.

He noted that after President Erdoğan declared 2020 as the “Year of Patara,” work began under the supervision of the Antalya Governorship to restore the ancient lighthouse. “Prof. Dr. Havva İşkan Işık, has managed this process from start to finish. The lighthouse consists of a square podium and two interlocking cylinders on the main rock in the center. There was also a fire burning on the platform above the lighthouse. We are now close to completing that area and its dome. There are two special inscriptions attributed to Emperor Nero and the Lycian Governor Sextus Marcus Priscus,” he said.

Image Credit: Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism
Image Credit: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Aktaş emphasized that the structure is an important artifact that has survived from the ancient world to the present day in terms of architectural form. “With the completion of the restoration process, an important artifact will be contributed to the scientific community. We aim to complete the landscaping and the podium steps in the first half of the year, light the lighthouse, and open it to visitors,” he stated.

He noted that the lighthouse is one of the significant examples that have been restored in accordance with its 2,000-year-old original structure, texture, and architecture. “The lighthouse stood for 1,300 years and was destroyed due to an earthquake. It is a very important value for the archaeology and scientific community. We believe that tourists will come just to see the lighthouse. This lighthouse will contribute significantly to the scientific community and will attract many visitors to Patara after the first light is lit,” he expressed.

The lighthouse, built by Roman Emperor Nero in 64 AD, is known to have been destroyed in 1481 due to an earthquake in Rhodes and the subsequent tsunami, with the ruins later lost among the sand dunes in the harbor area over time.

AA

Cover Image Credit: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Related Articles

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...

A Dancing Muses statue 2175 years old was found in the ancient city of Stratonikeia, known as the city of eternal loves

7 December 2023

7 December 2023

The latest discovery in the ongoing excavations in the Ancient City of Stratonikeia, known as the city of eternal loves...

Researchers measure the impact of Population Pressure on Prehistoric Violence in Japan’s Yayoi Period

23 August 2021

23 August 2021

Are wars part of human nature? Do people tend to fight instinctively or do they war as a result of...

Archaeologists unearth the long-lost homestead of King Pompey in Lynn

3 July 2024

3 July 2024

Archaeologists from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and a historian from Northeastern University believe they might have found the...

Researchers Suggest That the 5,000-Year-Old Boat-Shaped Mound May Be Fossilized Remains of Noah’s Ark

16 March 2025

16 March 2025

A recent discovery in Türkiye has ignited interest among experts who believe they may have found the fossilized remains of...

2000-year-old ancient Roman Road, described as the most important in Scottish history, has been discovered

3 November 2023

3 November 2023

A 2000-year-old ancient Roman road was unearthed in Old Inn Cottage’s garden near Stirling, Scotland. The site is located a...

Scientists Reconstruct Face Of 16th Century Italian ‘Vampire’ Buried With Brick In Mouth

23 March 2024

23 March 2024

A 16th-century ‘vampire‘ who was buried with a stone brick jammed in her mouth over fears she would feed on...

Inscriptions That Could Change the History of Turkish Migration to Anatolia Are Disappearing: Esatlı Kaya Inscriptions

30 March 2025

30 March 2025

Researchers made a significant discovery during field research conducted in 1994 in Esatlı village, Mesudiye, Ordu. They introduced a series...

The ancient city of Kastabala will soon have a colonnaded Street

4 September 2021

4 September 2021

The archaeological excavation of the ancient city of Kastabala in Osmaniye Province in southern Turkey continues. Kastabala-Hierapolis is one of...

The exciting discovery of a 4000-year-old stone box grave in western Norway

10 November 2023

10 November 2023

Archaeologists report an extremely important 4,000-year-old stone box grave has been unearthed in Western Norway, describing it as the most...

A Lynx Buried with Four Big Dogs in an Ancient Roman Well in Hungary

17 April 2024

17 April 2024

Archaeologists have discovered the skeleton of an adult male lynx accompanied by four big dogs in a Roman-era pit in...

A cobbled ford uncovered near Evesham could be the finest Roman example of its type in Britain

19 October 2022

19 October 2022

A cobbled ford believed to be of Roman construction has been discovered near Evesham in Worcestershire, England. If the path...

Excavations in Haldensleben, Germany Reveal A Lost Settlement

9 November 2024

9 November 2024

Excavations at Haldensleben in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt provide important information about a lost settlement. Since May 2024, the...

Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of what may be one of the four lost Ancient Egyptian “Sun Temples”

31 July 2022

31 July 2022

A Polish and Italian archaeological mission, while conducting an excavation in the Abusir necropolis near Saqqara in Egypt, unearthed the...

Archaeologists find a 5,000-year-old piece of wood in Orkney, which they describe as “astonishing”

10 August 2021

10 August 2021

Archaeologists continue to make surprising discoveries in Orkney. Although organic materials are quite difficult to find, archaeologists have found a...