Some 350 artefacts unearthed from the Kültepe archaeological site and preserved in warehouses are being prepared for display in museums under the grant program “Common Cultural Heritage: Preservation and Dialogue (Phase-II)” between Turkey and the European Union (EU), the head of the excavation team announced on Friday.
Kültepe, which was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kanesh, is located 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the central province of Kayseri. The mound revealing the ruins of the first city founded by the Hittites in Anatolia contained administrative buildings, religious buildings, houses, shops and workshops. The site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2014.
Speaking to reporters, Fikri Kulakoğlu, a professor at Ankara University and head of the excavation team, said most of the artifacts discovered at the site are kept in museums in the capital Ankara and the province. from Kayseri.
“A total of 350 artifacts waiting in warehouses will take their place in museums,” he noted.
Excavation work has been going on in the area for about 75 years.
