Topkapı Palace
The sultans’ palace on Sarayburnu: courtyards, the Imperial Council, the treasury and the terraces over the water. Dated entry, sold online on its own site.
Anavarza Archaeological Site
The ruins of the Cilician city of Anazarbos, a Roman and Byzantine centre north-east of Adana where excavations are still under way.
About the museum
Anavarza is an ancient city in Cilicia, near Kozan, in the area where the borders of Kadirli, Ceyhan and Kozan districts meet. It lies in Dilekkaya village, about seventy kilometres north-east of Adana. Ancient authors call it Anazarbos or Anazarbus, and the name is thought to derive from a Persian word meaning invincible.
Very little is known about the city before the Roman imperial period. Emperor Augustus visited in 19 BC, and the city took the name Caesarea in his honour. Between AD 198 and 203 Septimius Severus granted it the title Neokoros and in 204 the title Metropolis. Its position made it a useful logistics base for Roman armies during clashes with the Parthians on the Cilician plain, and it served as economic and political capital of the Tarkondimotid kingdom.
The ruins visible today belong mainly to the Roman and Byzantine periods. The site covers about four thousand decares, and excavations, which began in 2012 under the direction of Adana Museum, are still in progress, so what you see keeps changing. It is a quiet, open-air site and a good pairing with the Adana museums.
Tips
- The site is remote and open to the sun, so bring water, a hat and good shoes.
- Adana Museum, which runs the excavations, shows more of the region's finds.
Questions
When is Anavarza Archaeological Site open?
According to the Ministry’s listing it opens at 08:30 and closes at 17:00 (last entry 16:30). Open every day.
Can I buy tickets for Anavarza Archaeological Site on this site?
No. This site sells no tickets. Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sophia and Dolmabahçe Palace are sold on our sister sites; for Anavarza Archaeological Site, buy at the ticket office or on the Ministry’s official e-ticket system.
Where is Anavarza Archaeological Site?
Anavarza Archaeological Site is in Adana, Türkiye — Dilek kaya Köyü.
Nearby
Adana
Adana Museum
One of Turkey's oldest museums, founded in 1924, now in a large new complex built around a former textile factory, with archaeology, mosaics and more.
Adana
Adana Atatürk House Museum
A historic Tepebağ mansion where Atatürk stayed on two of his nine visits to Adana, now showing photographs, Kuvayı Milliye items and a traditional Adana house interior.
Adana
Kuruköprü Monument Museum and Traditional Adana House
A restored Greek Orthodox church in Adana, once the city museum, reopened in 2017 with a traditional Adana house alongside.
Istanbul tickets online
Four Istanbul landmarks, each sold on its own site by the agency behind this guide — dated entry and free cancellation up to 24 hours.
Basilica Cistern
Justinian’s great underground reservoir: 336 columns in still water and the two Medusa heads. Fast-track entry with a digital audio guide.
Hagia Sophia
Justinian’s cathedral, the sultans’ mosque and a working mosque again today. The ticket admits you to the upper visitor gallery.
Dolmabahçe Palace
A nineteenth-century palace on the water’s edge: the Selamlık, the Ceremonial Hall under its chandelier, the crystal staircase and the Harem.