Excavations in the ancient city of Kaunos in Muğla province have revealed a completely preserved church within the monastic area. The discovery marks an important phase in the multi-year archaeological project, “Heritage for the Future.”
The archaeological expedition at Kaunos, conducted as part of the “Heritage for the Future” project, uncovered a church with all its architectural details intact on the upper terrace of the monastery grounds. Excavation director Associate Professor Ufuk Kortuk noted: “A very beautiful church has emerged. It is preserved in all respects.”
The complex was previously used as a Roman hospital in the 2nd–3rd centuries CE, evidenced by the medical instruments found. In the 6th century, the area transitioned into a religious center, which the recent church finding confirms.
Additionally, archaeologists discovered a coin belonging to the Aydınoğulları Beylik, indicating the complex was also in use during the Turkish period. The sequence of occupations here continued from the 2nd to the 14th century.
Kaunos, included in the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites, is known for its 2,400-year-old rock-cut tombs, a 5,000-seat theater, a basilica, baths, an agora, and ancient mosaics. The 2025 excavations focused on the monastic zone, where many materials and structures were found for the first time.
According to Kortuk, the expedition worked in the Late Antiquity complex for three years, spending two years clearing the rooms. This season, researchers focused on the early phase of the monastery’s existence and its subsequent phases of use, continuing the large-scale program of studying Kaunos.
