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Archaeological excavations and restoration works have resumed at Toprakkale Fortress in the southern province of Osmaniye, Türkiye, following a pause caused by the devastating earthquakes of February 2023.
Located in the Toprakkale district, the site traces its origins back to the early second millennium B.C.
Excavations had been launched in 2022 by the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism but were interrupted when earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaras struck the region.
After post-disaster preparations were completed, work restarted this month under the leadership of the Osmaniye Museum Directorate and Osmaniye Korkut Ata University.
The excavation team, led by Associate Professor Irfan Tugcu, head of the university’s archaeology department, is investigating how different cultural layers relate to each other and how settlement continuity evolved across the centuries.
Tugcu explained that the fortress was rebuilt during the Abbasid period in the eighth century A.D., and evidence suggests both inner and outer settlements existed around the site.
He noted that while the Abbasid phase is significant, the western slopes likely hold traces of even earlier communities dating back to around 2,000 B.C.
According to Tugcu, the main objective of the project is to uncover the strong stratigraphy—the sequence of occupation layers—that will clarify the long history of the fortress.
He also emphasized that the findings will shed light on the Ottoman expansion in Anatolia, remarking that “from the 15th and 16th centuries onward, the region became firmly integrated into the Ottoman world, marking a process of Turkification and Islamization that shaped the fortress into what it became.”
Osmaniye Museum Director Zubeyde Kuru highlighted that the ongoing work is being carried out meticulously within the framework of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s “Heritage for the Future Project.”
She noted that recent finds include Islamic-period ceramic fragments dating to the 12th century A.D., as well as a cannonball and several arrowheads, all of which provide valuable evidence of the site’s military past.
Once the excavations and restorations are completed, authorities aim to open Toprakkale Fortress to visitors.
By doing so, they intend to add a new cultural and historical attraction to the region while ensuring the preservation of one of Türkiye’s significant archaeological treasures.
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