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Authorities in Silifke, a district of Mersin in Southern Türkiye, uncovered an unlawful excavation at a construction site inside an archaeological sit area—a state-designated protected zone—after heritage objects surfaced in a nearby spoil heap. The contractor was building under museum supervision, yet crews allegedly kept digging “off the books,” leading to damage and disposal of remains dated to the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods.
The project stood on Mukaddem Mahallesi, plot 70, parcel 64, a 3rd-degree archaeological site allowing controlled construction under oversight by Silifke Museum experts.
According to details shared with local media, the team continued excavating when museum staff were not on site. Excavation reportedly reached around 4.5 meters, where cultural assets from multiple eras appeared.
Instead of notifying the museum as required, workers allegedly avoided reporting the finds.
Heritage columns approximately 3.5–4 meters long were said to have been broken with jackhammers and loaded onto trucks. Soil mixed with artifacts was then dumped at a spoil area near Tasucu.
A scrap-dealer who found Roman-period pieces in the spoil area brought them to Silifke Museum Directorate to sell. After reviewing the items, Museum Director Nilgun Yilmazer immediately alerted the district police chief. Initial questioning identified the spoil location, and museum teams collected soil samples there for comparison with ongoing sites in town.
The museum team compared samples from the spoil heap with earth from active construction sites. The analysis matched the pieces to the project run by contractor Mustafa Gonen. The Mersin Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism promptly filed a criminal complaint with the Silifke Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Experts sealed the construction area, and the Adana Regional Board for the Protection of Cultural Assets (the official conservation authority) reclassified the parcel as a 1st-degree archaeological site, signaling a stricter protection status. Officials said rescue excavations have begun and that digging depth will be extended to recover further remains. Objects broken with jackhammers and those preserved intact have been taken into the museum depot for safeguarding.
When reached by journalist Salim Uzun from Hurriyet, contractor Mustafa Gonen gave a short comment: “I do not fully know the matter. I do not really look after the construction side.”
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