The Tarsus Excavation: Türkiye's Most Mysterious Archaeological Puzzle

In 2016, something strange happened in the small town of Tarsus, which is in the Mersin Province of southern Türkiye. What began as a normal police investigation into an illegal treasure hunting operation would turn into one of the most controversial and secretive digs in modern archaeology history. From November 16, 2016, to November 3, 2017, a mysterious dig took place beneath an ordinary house in the Yeşil Mahalle neighborhood of Tarsus. It was kept secret, protected by elite military and intelligence forces, and sparked a flood of baseless rumors and conspiracy theories that would capture the public's imagination for years to come.

The Tarsus excavations got even more complicated when different official stories came out, the government was not clear about what was going on, and there were people involved whose motivations and roles are still unclear today. This article looks at the known facts about this strange excavation, the theories that have come up since then, and the questions that people still have about it even though almost ten years have passed.

Tarsus's Importance in History

To comprehend the extensive attention garnered by the Tarsus excavation, one must first recognize the city's significant historical importance. Tarsus is not just any Turkish city; it is an ancient city with a written history that goes back over 6,000 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world that is still lived in. Archaeological evidence shows that the first people to live in the Tarsus area were Neolithic people, around 4000 BCE. For example, surveys of Gözlükule, a mound in southeastern Tarsus, show that people lived there from Neolithic times through the Islamic period.

Aerial View of the Excavation Site - An overhead view showing the excavation area in Yeşil Mahalle, Tarsus, with blue tarpaulins covering the site and security personnel visible around the perimeter during the secretive operation.

Tarsus became an important city in one of the most powerful civilizations in the ancient Near East during the Hittite Empire. Over the next thousand years, as empires rose and fell, Tarsus stayed important because it was a key point on major trade routes between the East and the West. The Assyrians and Persians ruled the city well, then the Greeks and Hellenists took it over, and finally the Romans made it the capital of the province of Cilicia. During the Roman period, Tarsus may have been at its most famous. It became a lively cultural and intellectual center that rivaled the philosophical schools of Athens and Alexandria.

Most importantly, Tarsus is where St. Paul the Apostle was born. He was born as Saul of Tarsus around 5 AD. Paul, who was a Roman citizen and later became a Christian, played a big role in spreading Christian teachings throughout the Roman Empire. His letters make up a large part of the New Testament. Tarsus is also known for being the place where Mark Antony and Cleopatra famously met in 41 BC. This event made the city even more important in ancient politics.

Because of this complicated and amazing history, the idea of finding something very important under Tarsus was not just a dream. Because the city has a long history, it was a good place to find very valuable artifacts, like ancient texts, religious relics, or the remains of lost civilizations. This historical context is crucial for comprehending the rapid proliferation of speculation regarding the excavation among the public and diverse interest groups.

The Death of Officer Mithat Erdal Was the Event That Set Everything in Motion

The chain of events that led to the strange Tarsus excavation started in 2012, but this important fact didn't become widely known until years later. Authorities said that the death of Mithat Erdal, a police officer in Tarsus who was also a traffic officer, on January 28, 2012, was an accident. According to official reports, Erdal was shot by his own service weapon while he was hanging out with coworkers. People thought the situation was caused by a tragic accident, and the case seemed to close without much public interest.

Sibel Erdal, the widow of Officer Erdal, disagreed with the official story, though. She said that her husband had been working as an undercover informant for a group of illegal treasure hunters. She said that Erdal had found something important while working undercover: proof of an old treasure hidden under a house in the Yeşil Mahalle neighborhood of Tarsus. She said that the treasure included things like golden candelabras, old coins, and maybe even things from a royal tomb that had not yet been found. Sibel Erdal said that her husband was killed not by accident, but because he was involved in the operation. She said this before she could officially report her findings through official channels.

Sibel Erdal went even further and said that the investigation into her husband's death was purposefully stopped because so many police officers were involved in the treasure hunt. She went even further and said that security officials linked to FETÖ (the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization), the group that many people think was behind the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, were behind the closure. She wrote directly to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a desperate plea for justice, asking that the case be reopened and properly looked into.

This story, which is disputed and not proven, seems to have sparked the later state-led excavation. It's not clear if the government started the excavation because of Sibel Erdal's claims or for other reasons, because the government has been quiet about the whole thing.

The Digging Starts: November 2016

In Tarsus, in the middle of November 2016, an operation that was unlike any other archaeological dig began. On November 16, 2016, workers, elite military units, special operations police, and people from Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) went to a small, unassuming house in the Yeşil Mahalle neighborhood. The house was on a street that people in the area called "82 Evler" (82 Houses). Blue tarpaulin fencing was put up right away to keep people from seeing it.

The Mysterious House - The ordinary-looking house in Yeşil Mahalle neighborhood that became the center of Türkiye's most controversial archaeological excavation, protected by military-grade security for nearly a year.

The site was protected by security measures that had never been used before in the military. There were armed guards with automatic rifles stationed around the property. They put in motion sensors, security cameras, and systems that keep an eye on things 24 hours a day. Only people who had permission were allowed to enter. It's amazing that even politicians and local government officials weren't allowed to enter the site. Residents and observers quickly began to wonder why an ordinary archaeological dig would need the same resources and security measures as sensitive state security operations.

Journalists who were able to get information at the time say that the excavation went through several stages over the next few months. The workers dug down until they hit water about 15 meters below the surface, which made it harder and harder to dig deeper. These depths are important because they show that whatever was being looked for required digging deep into the ground, much deeper than what would be needed for normal home construction.

Official Results and the Story of the Cover-Up

After about a year of work, the excavation ended on November 3, 2017. Authorities released a statement that would make people more curious instead of less curious. Experts wrote the official report and sent it to the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, which is part of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The report said that the excavation had found almost nothing of archaeological value. The documented results were:

• One coin made of bronze
• A piece of a broken column
• A few pieces of ceramic pottery and roof tiles

The report said clearly, "No removable or unremovable cultural assets can be found in the excavation area, except for one bronze coin, one part of a broken column, and some ceramic pieces." The site was given a new classification as a Grade Three archaeological site, and it was suggested that the holes dug during the excavation be filled in for safety reasons.

This official conclusion presented a glaring paradox that would dominate subsequent interpretation of events. If the excavation had only turned up ordinary, common archaeological fragments—artifacts that could be found at almost any site in Tarsus because it has been continuously inhabited for a long time—then why had the Turkish government used such unusual security measures, gotten its top intelligence agencies involved, and kept everything so secret? Why would a lot of state resources be used for an operation whose goal was to find things that weren't very important?

This contradiction led to what many people called a "cover-up narrative." Skeptics said that the official report was a deliberate lie about what had really been found. They said that the real findings had been hidden, classified, or taken off the site before the official records were finished. These suspicions were only made stronger by the government's refusal to give clear reports, detailed pictures of the excavation process, or full records of all the materials found.

New Theories and Ideas Are Coming Up

Because officials weren't saying anything and their explanations weren't convincing, a lot of theories came up to explain what might have been found in Tarsus. Some of these theories were based on history, while others were based on fantasy or pure myth.

The St. Paul Bible Theory

Politicians and other public figures made a lot of noise about the idea that the excavation was looking for the "lost Bible of St. Paul" or other holy texts linked to the Apostle. This theory became very popular when Aytuğ Atıcı, a member of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said in public that the Vatican had ordered the dig to find "St. Paul's missing bible" at the archaeological site. Atıcı said that he had been denied access to the site five times, even though he was a member of parliament. He also said that a security officer had told him that there was a "international connection" to the operation.

The Vatican officially denied these claims in response. Archbishop Paul Russell, the Vatican's Ambassador to Ankara, said in a statement, "The Vatican has nothing to do with any archaeological dig or any other activity in Tarsus. The story about the Vatican's involvement is completely false and should be called 'fake news.'"

Even though the Vatican said no, the theory kept coming up in conversation, especially among people who were already inclined to believe in international conspiracies or religious cover-ups.

The Underground City Theory

Another theory that gained popularity, especially among journalists, said that the excavation had found proof of a large underground Roman city or settlement that existed around 300 BC or earlier. This theory says that the small house was "the only gateway to the hidden city," and that the deep digging was really an exploratory probe to find out how big and what was underneath.

This theory had some archaeological merit because Roman structures have been found underground in different places, and Tarsus has a long history that made it possible for there to be significant remains below the surface. But there was never any solid proof to back up this claim.

Claims About Aliens and the Supernatural

Some of the more outlandish theories that spread, especially on social media and alternative media sites, said that the excavation had found proof of contact or activity from aliens. Some stories talked about a strange device or machine that no one knew where it came from and that was said to be sending out strange frequencies or electromagnetic signals. These claims were based on anonymous "professors" and unnamed "local informants," but no proof was given that they were true.

During the excavation period, people who lived nearby said they heard "strange noises" at night. Some of them thought these noises were signs of strange technological activity or unexplained events. Even though these stories couldn't be proven, they showed how the lack of evidence and official silence made it easy for people to come up with strange and paranormal explanations.

The Treasure Hunters' Cache

A more realistic theory said that the digging was really about finding treasure that illegal treasure hunters had found in the area. This story says that an Armenian woman gave treasure hunters a map that showed them where to find buried treasure, which may have included gold artifacts and three ancient books. This view of the excavation saw it as a way for the government to get these things back before they could be stolen or smuggled out of the country.

Questions That Haven't Been Answered and Contradictions

There are still some things about the Tarsus excavation that aren't fully understood, which keeps people wondering about what really happened:

The Security Disparity: The extraordinary security measures used are very different from the official findings, which are very minor. Even at important historical sites, standard archaeological digs don't usually need military units, special operations police, and armed surveillance around the clock. This difference makes it reasonable to wonder if the real purpose of the excavation matched the official archaeological description.

The Institutional Absence: Professor Murat Durukan from Mersin University brought up some important procedural issues. He said that museums and universities usually keep an eye on real archaeological digs and make the results public. The Tarsus excavation seemed to be completely separate from these academic institutions, which suggests that it was done in a way that was not typical for archaeology.

The MIT Involvement: The fact that Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) was involved makes the story even more complicated. Usually, intelligence agencies don't get involved in regular archaeological digs. Their involvement suggests that there were concerns about state security, whether they were related to national heritage, sensitive historical materials, or other factors.

The Deliberate Silence: The government's ongoing refusal to provide clear documentation, detailed reports, or photographic evidence of the excavation goes against what is expected of archaeologists and what the public expects of them. This silence has mostly made people more suspicious instead of less.

The House After the Dig

The story of the strange house didn't end with the excavation, which is interesting. In 2023, years later, the house was put up for sale for 6,750,000 Turkish Lira. The news of the sale made people in the area feel both relieved and still worried. Some people in the area were hopeful that the new owners would finally put an end to the mystery and the fear it had caused. Others still thought that something important had been found and hidden.

In a strange twist of digital mapping that caught the public's attention, Google Maps called the house "Gizemli Ev" (Mysterious House), which was a perfect name for how people saw the site.

Institutional and Academic Viewpoints

The Tarsus excavation sparked significant discourse within the archaeological and academic spheres concerning transparency, institutional protocols, and the interplay between governmental functions and scientific investigation. Numerous scholars expressed ethical apprehensions regarding the execution of archaeological endeavors devoid of conventional scientific methodologies and the absence of public accountability.

The participation of security agencies in what was ostensibly an archaeological investigation prompted concerns regarding the militarization of cultural heritage inquiries and the possibility of state dominance over historical narratives. Some people said that while governments have good reasons to protect archaeological sites and stop looting, the methods used in Tarsus seemed to go beyond normal protective measures and into the realm of secret or classified operations.

Conclusion: The Unsolved Mystery

The Tarsus mystery is still not fully solved, even though the excavation ended almost ten years ago. The official story that nothing important was found is very different from the unusual steps taken and the ongoing silence from institutions. It is still unclear whether the excavation found materials that were considered sensitive to national security, religious artifacts of great importance, evidence of historical importance that the government wanted to keep secret, or nothing of importance at all.

The Tarsus excavation shows how secrecy and lack of transparency from officials, even when they are meant to protect or defend something, always lead to speculation and conspiracy theories. Authorities turned what could have been a routine operation into a permanent mystery that still fascinates people and leads to other explanations by refusing to provide clear documentation or convincing explanations.

What happened under that normal house in Tarsus in 2016 and 2017 is still one of modern Türkiye's biggest mysteries, whether by design or by chance. It is not clear if future revelations will clear up the fog of speculation or back up other theories. The Tarsus excavation is a good example of how powerful unanswered questions can be and how people tend to fill in gaps in official information with guesses, theories, and imagination.