An ancient Greek city in Turkey is for sale with a price tag of a cool 35m lira ($8.3m/£6.1m). The 2500-year-old city of Bargylia is located 30 km away from the Aegean resort of Bodrum, and the sale is designed to protect its archaeological sites from treasure hunters and decay.
Cows graze among the ruins
According to mythology, the city was founded by hero of Greekmythology, Bellerophon, in honour of his friend Bargylos, who was killed by a kick from his winged horse Pegasus.
Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper reports that the 330-acre site has been private property since 1927. One of its owners, Huseyin Ucpinar, has urged the government to step in to protect the city, whose theatre, acropolis, fortification walls and necropolis are listed locally as a Grade 1 archaeological site.
Looters have already stolen mosaics, but some examples still remain
Despite this, treasure hunters have already caused damage with illegal excavations, and cattle graze around, and take shelter in, a long-abandoned monastery.
Turkish archaeologists have called on the country’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism to expropriate numerous archaeological sites, such as the one in Bargylia, to ensure their protection.
The land is mostly unkempt grass
The tractor tyre is not an ancient Greek original, but the site seems perfect for aspiring 'bonekickers'
Many of Bargylia’s ancient structures are under ruins and located underground, and the report says no government-backed preservation work can take place at Bargylia because it’s on private land. The owners believe therefore that the city might be a good addition to the Turkish culture ministry’s land portfolio.
There was a previous failed attempt to sell the site in 2015. It was described as “a first degree archaeological site, facing the Bird Heaven Lake near the Bogazici Village, with full sea and lake view,” but no buyer was found. This time around, the asking price has been reduced by almost $2m (£1.5m).
