Ancient Phrygian Tomb Transformed Into Café Sparks Fierce Controversy in Turkey—What’s Really Behind the Outrage?
Early reporting prompted Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism to intervene, but the damage — which included drilling into the rock and running electrical cables — cannot be undone.
An Ancient Rock Tomb Illegally Converted Into A Café
Salim UzunDiners at the café, seated on a carpet laid out in the tomb.
The first report about this illegal café came from Hürriyet journalist Salim Uzun, who revealed that the operators of the business had decorated the tomb by nailing and drilling directly into the rock itself and running electrical wiring through the ancient tomb.
In the winter months, they closed off the historical chambers with transparent doors and heated the tomb with a chimney system and coal and wood stoves. They even set up a swing in front of the structure. All of this, Uzun noted, was entirely unauthorized by the Conservation Area Board.
Salim UzunDecorations outside the 3,000-year-old tomb.
“Let alone adding tables and chairs to a registered structure, installing electricity, turning it into a café or restaurant, you can’t even approach it from a certain distance,” said archaeologist Nevzat Çevik. “This is not ignorance. They know that this is an important structure.”
One photograph of a decorated room posted to Stone Garden’s social media account featured the caption, “The glory of the stone rooms.”
Çevik was not alone in condemning the café’s owners. Per Anatolian Archaeology, archaeologist Ahmet Levent Zeybek said, “These rock tombs are among the world’s most important cultural heritages. Using them for commercial purposes seriously threatens their original texture and historical value.”
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