kerkenes dag - yozgat
the median city of pteria

In the early 6th Century BC the Medes extended their empire from Iran into northern Anatolia. Iranian civilisation came into sustained cultural contact with Central and West Anatolian powers of Lydia to the west, the Kingdom of Cilicia to the south and the Greek colonies in Pontus. Protection and administration of the Mede's western empire required a strong and substantial base from which imperial power could be exercised. To meet these needs a great new city was founded on the Kerkenes Dag, a low granite mountain on the northern edge of the Cappadocian plain. A mighty wall, 7km in length and pierced by 7 strongly fortified gates, protected a thriving city containing a palatial complex and other public buildings, centrally planned urban blocks enclosing elite residential units and more humble structures. Since 1993 an international team has spent each summer mapping surface and subsurface remains of this extraordinary city with the most advanced techniques available.