About Anemurium
At Cape Anamur, Anemurium is an extensive Roman city with streets running beside the Mediterranean, mosaic-decorated baths and hundreds of vaulted tombs. Its coastal lower town and fortified hillside acropolis reveal life at the western edge of Cilicia.
History
Anemurium's history extends into the Hellenistic period. It grew under Rome through maritime connections between Cyprus and Anatolia. A theatre, odeon, baths and water infrastructure were built in the first to third centuries CE. Despite Persian and Arab attacks, occupation continued into late antiquity, with churches and renewed defences. Declining harbour activity and regional insecurity contributed to the settlement's contraction after the seventh century.
Highlights and principal structures
- Necropolis with vaulted tombs
- Mosaic baths
- Odeon
- Theatre
- Colonnaded street
- Basilicas
- Acropolis walls
Historical period
Hellenistic–Roman–Byzantine