The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey reported that thanks to the inclusion of the UNESCO of the Archaeological Complex “Antique City Sardes and Lydia Bintepeler”, located in the east, the total number of Turkish objects in the list reached 22.
The department of the department notes that this object was included in the list at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee held in the capital of France – Paris.
According to sources in the Foreign Ministry, Türkiye, having received the highest number of votes in the category in which it put forward its candidacy, was elected to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the period 2023-2027.
Antique city of Sardes
Sardes was the capital of the Lydian kingdom in the VIII-VI centuries BC. e. And turned into a powerful political center of the first state of the Iron Age in this region. Lydians are known as inventors of metal money, carriers of enormous wealth and an original sociocultural model.
The city consists of three main parts: Acropolis, a fortified center and adjacent settlements with funeral mounds.
The upper part of the city includes massive walls and terraces, in the lower part are houses of cheests brick, rocky burials and a gold refining workshop.
Sardes remained inhabited for almost three thousand years.
Lydian bintepeler mounds
Necropol Bintepel, located north of Sardes, covers the territory of 75 square kilometers and includes 119 mounds.
The construction of the mounds began in the 7th century BC. e. Kurgan Aliatta is considered one of the largest monumental burials in the world.
After the fall of the Lydian kingdom, the Persians continued to use this place, and the tradition of building mounds remained until the 4th century BC. e.