Gordion Archaeological Site

Gordion was the capital of the ancient Phrygian kingdom from approximately the 9th to 6th centuries BC and ranks among the most significant archaeological sites in Turkey. Located approximately 95 kilometres southwest of Ankara near the village of Yassıhöyük in Polatlı district, the site was placed on Turkey's UNESCO World Heritage tentative list in 2012. Excavations have been conducted at Gordion since 1900, with an international project led by the University of Pennsylvania running continuously since 1950. The Phrygians established Gordion as their royal capital following their migration into Anatolia from the Balkans around 1200 BC. The city reached its zenith under King Midas — most probably the historical ruler Mita of Mushki known from Assyrian records — in the late 8th century BC. Around 800 BC a catastrophic fire destroyed the royal citadel but sealed its contents in place, preserving food remains, textiles, pottery, and organic materials in exceptional condition. Alexander the Great passed through Gordion in 333 BC and encountered the legendary ox-cart tied with the Gordian Knot at the city's sanctuary. The site's most spectacular surviving feature is the Great Tumulus (Büyük Tümülüs), at 53 metres high and 300 metres in diameter the largest burial mound in Anatolia. Excavation tunnels dug in the 1950s allow visitors to enter the original sealed wooden burial chamber, whose preserved microclimate kept the furniture, textiles, and organic material inside largely intact. The wooden grave goods, dated dendrochronologically to approximately 740 BC, represent some of the oldest surviving wooden objects in the world, now housed in the on-site Gordion Museum. Over 80 additional tumuli are visible across the surrounding agricultural plain. An on-site museum opened in 2012 presents the excavation findings and is the essential complement to a visit to the tumulus itself.