2,100-year-old Cybele statue found: Archaeological excavations continue in Kurul Castle

Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism Uğur Toparlak stated that the excavations carried out by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism with the support of Ordu Metropolitan Municipality are planned to resume next week. Toparlak stated that important artifacts have been unearthed in the research and excavations carried out so far. Emphasizing that the excavations in the castle stand out as the first archaeological excavation in the Black Sea, Toparlak noted that excavations are expected to continue here for many more years. Pointing out that the historical past of Kurul Castle is remarkable, Toparlak said, "This is a place that hosted a single civilization. Therefore, you can see the traces of a single civilization in this work that is being carried out." Underlining that a 2,100-year-old Mother Goddess Cybele statue from the period of Mithridates VI and approximately 5 thousand pieces of historical artifacts have been found in the excavations to date, Toparlak said, "As the excavations continue, we will all see what was lived there together." Toparlak stated that the Kurul Castle excavations, which shed light on thousands of years of history, will continue with great care in the 16th season, and noted the following: "Everything is ready for the excavations to be carried out. We have no funding problems. Hopefully, with these resources and support, we want to bring the work here to a certain stage and open the castle to tourism. We cannot open it to tourism because we are concerned about the deterioration of the architectural structures unearthed in the excavations. We will open Ordu Kurul Castle to tourism after the walking paths and landscaping are completed. This is a great opportunity for Ordu, and we want to make the best use of this opportunity." Toparlak added that the artifacts unearthed in the excavations will be exhibited in the newly built Ordu Museum.