N°944. Uzuncaburç

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The remote village of Uzuncaburç is located high in the Taurus Mountains at about 28 km from Silifke. Once it was the ancient temple-city of Olbia also called Olba and was a centre of worship to Zeus Olbius. This site, originally the Zeus Cult Centre, was separated by the Romans from the Hellenistic city of Olba and was given a city-state status with a new name Diocaesarea in 72 AD.

The Zeus temple, high tower, and mausoleum date from the Hellenistic Olba kingdom while the city gatge, colonnaded street, fountain, and temple of Tyche are from the Roman period. There are no remarkable remains from Byzantine churches. The necropolis was in both Roman and Byzantine periods.