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Anemurium

 

Anemurium, near the present-day city of Anemur in the province of Mersin in Turkey. The site faces Cyprus. The site is called Eski Anamur, which means Old Anamur.

The place was inhabited as early as the 8th century BC, but the first written references date from the 4th century BC as a Roman settlement in the province of Cilicia. It is probable that its geographical and therefore strategic situation made many envy and the city undergoes several invasions, often pushed back, but the invasion of the Sasanians in 260 caused several decades of decline. However, prosperity returned and lasted until the middle of the 7th century, before the city was finally abandoned. This abandonment is probably due to the occupation of Cyprus by the Arabs, sowing insecurity on the Turkish coast.

 

Remains

 

The remains that can be admired today were discovered at the beginning of the 19th century and extensive excavations took place between 1965 and 1970.

What we see today are the ruins of an amphitheater, a small odeon, public baths as well as four ancient churches dating from the beginning of Christianity in the region.

The city itself is not visible, probably buried under the sand. On the other hand, an immense necropolis with nearly 350 monuments, dating from the 1st to the 4th century, rises outside the locality.

Some of these funerary monuments have several rooms, a second floor and, but this is rarer, sometimes also an interior courtyard.

Most of the city's monuments were made of brick, probably covered with marble and adorned with columns. Few of these ornaments have survived to the present day. This is probably due to the fact that Anemurium, which is the southernmost point of Anatolia, has historically been exposed to looting. It is believed that some of the marbles were reused either in Cyprus or for the construction of the fort of Anamur, known as Mamure Kalesi.

 

Spoken comments in the film: 

Anemurium is an ancient Roman city in the far south of Anatolia, facing Cyprus. A prosperous city at the beginning of our era, Anemurium was abandoned in the 8th century, following increasingly frequent Arab incursions. Among the most emblematic monuments revealed by the excavations of the mid-20th century, there is a magnificent necropolis with more than 350 vaults.

about the place, Anemurium:

Ancient Roman city located in the far south of Anatolia, opposite Cyprus, Anamurium was a prosperous city until around the 8th century. It was during this time that the Arab raids on the southern coast of Anatolia (the Asian part of present-day Turkey) intensified, forcing the inhabitants of Anamurium to leave their city. 

The site is close to the city of Anamur.