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Excavation work is continuing at the historic Meliksah Bath in Cubuk, a district of Ankara, where a second phase of digging is uncovering additional sections of the Roman-era structure.
The excavation, centered in the Meliksah neighborhood, is being led by Ankara Yildirim Beyazit Universitesi.
Local officials say new areas of the bath's original layout continue to emerge as work progresses.
Cubuk Mayor Baki Demirbas visited the site along with Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) district chairman Ahmet Kilic to review the excavation.
Demirbas described the bath as one of the district's significant historical assets and said local authorities aim to develop it as a cultural and tourism attraction.
Excavation head Associate Professor Yusuf Albayrak of Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University said the dig began in 2024.
"The bath was in use from the Roman period until 1974," Albayrak said, adding that it lost its function after a drilling well altered the direction of the site's water source.
According to excavation officials, the structure remained in continuous use for centuries before the disruption to its water supply left it abandoned.
The immediate goal is to complete excavation work and fully expose the structure, after which a restoration project would aim to return the bath to its appearance at the time of its original construction.
Excavation is set to continue in phases. Once restoration is complete, authorities plan to open the site to visitors for cultural and tourism purposes.
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