Oymaagac Mound
Oymaagac Mound is located 7 km northwest of the center of Vezirköprü. Started in 2005 with surface surveys and in 2007 with excavations, this year the excavations at Oymaağaç in Vezirköprü are again under the direction of Prof. Dr. Rainer Ö. Chizchon, a Turkish citizen of German origin. In addition to Prof. Dr. Czichon, the head of the Department of Archaeology at Uşak University, a team of about 20 experts, including Dr. Mehmet Ali Yılmaz from Uşak University, Dr. Emrullah Kalkan from Hitit University and Bayhan Mert Erol, a representative of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, will work on the excavation.
It is known that Oymaağaç, which bears traces of at least 6,000 years of history, was the holy city of Nerik of the Hittites. Hundreds of valuable artifacts such as underground stairs, sacred fountains and cuneiform tablets have been found in excavations to date, and traces of the Chalcolithic period and the Iron Age have been found in this region. During the excavations, a tunnel believed to have been used as a temple with a spring at the end was also found.
These excavations, which continue with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and with the financial support of the Turkish Historical Society, together with the Bafra İkiztepe excavation, are of great importance not only for our province or our country, but also for the cultural heritage of humanity. Citizens who want to go to the excavation site can visit the region and excavation activities by making an appointment in advance through our Directorate.
