Landmine removal makes way for Iron Age excavation

Published on October 3rd, 2011 | by Sevaan Franks

Excavations on an Iron Age city located near the Syrian-Turkish border are set to begin after over 1,000 landmines were removed from the area.

The archaeologist, who has undertaken previous digs in the Gaziantep region and speaks a great deal of Turkish, explained that the team has ambitious plans for the extensive site at Karkamis. “Our aim is to totally uncover the city with its pathways, squares, walls and temples.” The plan of the team and hope of regional tourism authorities, Marchetti says, is that the site can be made into “an important national park, an archaeology park.”

The ruins Marchetti and his team hope to uncover are expected to be extensive and well preserved. “We know what the important buildings were and we know where they are,” the archeologist stated, adding that the first round of digs will start in five separate places and last until Nov. 15. The team is made up of 14 archaeologists from Bologna University and 11 from Istanbul University.

[Full story]

Story: Today’s Zaman | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Tags: City, Excavations, Iron Age, Landmines, Syria, Turkey, War