Tomb structures in Gölyazı open to tourism

The necropolis (cemetery) of the ancient city of Apollonia ad Rhyndacum will be opened to tourism in the northwestern province of Bursa's Nilüfer district as "Little Venice."

Restoration works have been carried out in the area following the necropolis excavation, which was completed under the scientific consultancy of Bursa Uludağ University (BUÜ).

Different types of tombs and skeleton samples can be seen in the necropolis, located just outside the city in Gölyazı, and served for a long time from the Hellenistic period to the Byzantine period.

The scientific advisor of the excavation, Professor Derya Şahin, a faculty member at BUÜ Archeology Department, told state-run Anadolu Agency that the necropolis is located outside the main entrance, called the stone gate, where the walls of the ancient city begin.

"Some of the graves had been frequently destroyed by treasure hunters before. This is why excavations were carried out quickly in a two-year period here and 28 tombs were opened," Şahin said.

Noting that the graves have different characteristics and some of them are family cemeteries, Şahin said that the family cemetery was surrounded by a special wall and that there were tombs carved into the rock and made in the form of sarcophagi.

"We found that in some of the graves, the body was burned by using very little wood material at the place where it was buried. Although this type of burial, called "primary cremation," is common in Western Anatolia, we see that the best examples are preserved here. There are tomb types in which many different burial practices were made. Among the finds are burial structures with numerous medical instruments and tear bottles, which are believed to have belonged to a doctor. Apart from that,...