Ancient City of Anazarbus
Ancient City of Anazarbus in Adana, Turkey
The ancient city of Anazarbus is located in southern Turkey, in Adana Province, not far from the modern town of Kozan. The ruins lie at the foot of a long rocky ridge, on which a fortress has survived, clearly visible from afar. This is one of the major archaeological sites of historical Cilicia, where traces of the ancient, Roman, Byzantine, and medieval periods can be seen.
In antiquity, the city was known as Anazarba, and in the Roman period it bore the name Caesarea near Anazarba. After the devastating earthquake of the 6th century, it was restored under Emperor Justinian I, and for some time it was called Justinianopolis. Later, Anazarbus retained military and administrative importance, and in the Middle Ages it played a notable role in the history of Cilician Armenia.
Within the archaeological zone, sections of fortress walls, gates, a colonnaded street, remains of baths, churches, aqueducts, a theater, and a stadium have been preserved. Rock-cut tombs can be found in the cliffs, and on the fortress plateau there are cisterns, towers, and defensive structures. Most of the buildings survive as ruins, but the layout of the ancient city and its fortifications can still be read quite clearly.
Anazarbus is of interest to those who want to see not just a single monument, but a large historical landscape with several layers of the past. A trip here is well suited for independent exploration of the ruins, walks through the archaeological area, and discovering the history of Cilicia outside the major tourist centers.
Ancient City of Anazarbus on the map
The Ancient City of Anazarbus and Its Ruins by the Rocky Ridge
Here, layers of history are visible from antiquity to the Middle Ages.
Rock Fortress, Colonnaded Street, and Ruins of the Ancient City
A visit to Anazarbus usually begins in the lower city, where the long lines of walls and the remains of the main public buildings are most clearly visible. Here, you can walk along the ancient street with columns and examine fragments of gates, bath complexes, and sections of urban development. In the open landscape, the ruins are easy to read, making the site especially interesting for those who enjoy archaeological monuments without dense modern development around them.
Special attention should be given to the fortress on the rocky ridge. The ascent takes time and requires comfortable footwear, but from the top you get a sense of the scale of the entire complex. Defensive sections, towers, cisterns, and spaces connected with garrison life have been preserved on the summit. In different parts of the site, you can also see rock-cut tombs and the remains of engineering structures, showing how developed this city was in antiquity and the medieval period.
It is best to visit during the cooler part of the day, especially in the warm season, as most of the area has no shade. It is better to allow enough time for a walk: the archaeological zone is extensive, and the route between the lower city and the fortress takes longer than it first seems. Nearby, the trip can be combined with a visit to Kozan and other historical sites in Adana Province.
The most convenient way to get here is by car from Adana via Kozan, as public transport to the ruins themselves is limited. Before traveling, it is useful to check the current access conditions for the site and the state of the ascent to the fortress.
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