Anavarza Ruins

Dilekkaya, Türkiye, Turkey

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Anavarza Ruins form a vast ancient city and fortress in Dilekkaya village near Kozan in Turkey's Adana Province, known historically as the "invincible city" from its Persian roots as Nezarba.

Flourishing under Roman emperors like Septimius Severus, who granted it neokoros and metropolis status in the late 2nd to early 3rd centuries, it boasted a triumphal arch, double colonnaded street, theater, stadium, baths, and churches across Hellenistic, Byzantine, Armenian, and Ottoman layers.

Perched on a dramatic rocky promontory with 1,500-meter walls and 20 bastions, the site served as Cilicia Secunda's capital under Theodosius II, endured earthquakes and conquests, and now reveals gladiator tombs and mosaics through ongoing excavations since 2012.