Ancient Zerzevan Castle to become a UNESCO World Heritage site
The Zerzevan Castle located in Diyarbakır, Türkiye, stands 124 meters above the ground on top of a rocky hill, and is of great importance since the last Mithraic temple was discovered within the site.
- Turkey
- Published Date: 10:32 | 30 July 2024
- Modified Date: 10:42 | 30 July 2024
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The castle was featured in the 2020 UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, and is one of the main tourist attractions in Diyarbakır.
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The ongoing excavation began in 2014 and is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Governorship of Diyarbakır, and Dicle University.
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An underground Mithraeum, which is a temple for the worshippers of the ancient religion of Mithras, and a place for the temple visitors to stay in was one of the key structures discovered in the site.
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Many other archeological remains were also found during the excavation, such as a 12 to 15-meter-high remnant of a city wall, a 21-meter-high observation and defensive tower, cisterns, houses, churches, silos, arsenals, rock tombs, irrigation canals, secret passages, and a shelter with a capacity of 400 people.
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Efforts to include Zerzevan Castle in the UNESCO World Heritage List are being conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Industry and Technology's General Directorate of Development Agencies, and the Excavation Directorate.
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Once the file is complete, an application will be submitted in October for Zerzevan Castle to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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