Stepping onto the grounds of Laodicea felt like entering a secret world. The site was remarkably quiet, with virtually no other visitors in sight. We wandered through millennia of history with an almost eerie sense of solitude, as if the ancient ruins had been preserved exclusively for our exploration. This isolation allowed us to fully appreciate the magnitude and significance of what lay before us without the typical crowds found at more famous archaeological destinations.

The Rich Heritage of Laodicea

Laodicea on the Lycus represents one of Turkey’s most significant archaeological sites, earning its place on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2013. Located near the modern city of Denizli in southwestern Turkey, this ancient settlement served as a major crossroads in the Roman Empire. Founded between 261-253 BCE by Antiochus II Theos of the Seleucid Empire, the city was named in honour of his wife, Laodice. Archaeological evidence suggests continuous habitation from approximately 5500 BCE to the seventh century CE, making this site a remarkable window into thousands of years of human civilization.

The city flourished as a major commercial hub during the Roman period, positioned strategically at the crossroads of important trade routes connecting western, central, and southern Anatolia. Laodicea became renowned for its banking services, black wool trade, and medical achievements. The city’s prosperity was legendary – when a devastating earthquake struck in 60 CE, the wealthy inhabitants famously refused financial assistance from the Roman Empire, choosing instead to rebuild using their own resources.

The Monument to Trajan: A Marvel of Imperial Propaganda

Among Laodicea’s most remarkable discoveries is the Monument to Trajan, a masterpiece of Roman sculptural art that commands attention and respect. This extraordinary 3-metre-tall statue, dating to 113 CE, depicts Emperor Marcus Ulpius Traianus in full military regalia, showcasing the artistic sophistication of the Roman Empire at its peak. The statue was discovered in 356 fragments beneath an ancient fountain and has been meticulously reconstructed by archaeologists.

The monument serves as a fascinating example of how Roman emperors used public art to communicate their power and achievements.

A Glimpse of Preserved Ancient Ceilings

One of our most exciting discoveries was encountering preserved ceiling structures, a relatively rare find in ancient archaeological sites.

Most ancient buildings have lost their roofs and upper architectural elements over the millennia, making ceiling remains particularly valuable for understanding original construction techniques and decorative programs.

The Partially Excavated Amphitheatre

Laodicea’s amphitheatre represents an ongoing archaeological project that illustrates the meticulous nature of modern excavation work. Unlike fully restored sites, this partially excavated structure allows visitors to witness archaeology in progress. The amphitheatre reveals the complexity of ancient entertainment venues, with its sophisticated underground systems for staging elaborate performances and spectacles.

The structure demonstrates the Romans’ engineering prowess in creating venues that could accommodate thousands of spectators while providing optimal sight lines and acoustics. The site actually contains two theatres: the West Theatre, built in the 2nd century BCE during the Hellenistic period with a capacity of 8,000 spectators, and the larger North Theatre, constructed during the Roman Imperial period with seating for up to 15,000 people. Excavation work continues to reveal new details about how these ancient entertainment complexes functioned, including staging areas, animal holding pens, and mechanical systems used to create spectacular shows for ancient audiences.

Laodicea boasts some of the most impressive archaeological remains in Turkey. Even today, the site is still being excvated.

See more of Laodicea here

The Campaign That Changed Nations

The Gallipoli Campaign, known to Turks as the Battle of Çanakkale, began on April 25, 1915, when Allied forces attempted to force passage through the Dardanelles Strait. The strategic objective was ambitious: capture Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war, and establish a supply route to Russia through the Black Sea. What planners expected to be a swift operation instead became an eight-month ordeal that would define the national consciousness of Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand.

The peninsula, stretching approximately 60 kilometres into the Aegean Sea, became the stage for one of history’s most brutal campaigns. The terrain itself posed enormous challenges – rugged cliffs, steep ravines, and scrubland that offered little cover but countless hiding places for defenders. The geography that made Gallipoli strategically valuable also made it nearly impossible to conquer.

The Making of Atatürk

Among the Ottoman commanders defending Gallipoli was a 34-year-old lieutenant colonel named Mustafa Kemal, who would later become known as Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey. His actions at Gallipoli, particularly his defense of Chunuk Bair, established him as the “Rock of Gallipoli” and catapulted him into national prominence.

Kemal’s tactical brilliance and inspirational leadership during the campaign became legendary. When he famously told his troops, “I am not ordering you to attack, I am ordering you to die,” he embodied the desperate determination that would ultimately repel the Allied invasion.

Kemal’s success at Gallipoli wasn’t just tactical; it was transformational. His ability to coordinate defenses, inspire troops, and maintain morale under impossible circumstances demonstrated the leadership qualities that would later make him the founding father of the Turkish Republic. The victory at Gallipoli became a cornerstone of Turkish national identity and pride, representing the last great stand of the Ottoman Empire and the birth of modern Turkey.

The Staggering Scale of Loss and a Personal Connection to History

The numbers behind the Gallipoli Campaign reveal its devastating human cost. Over 559,000 Allied personnel participated in the campaign, facing more than 300,000 Ottoman defenders. The casualty figures paint a sobering picture of the campaign’s brutality. The Ottoman Empire paid the highest price, with over 87,000 deaths and 300,000 total casualties. Among the Allied forces, Britain and Ireland lost 29,500 lives, Australia 8,709, New Zealand 2,779, and France 12,000. These numbers represent not just military statistics but entire generations of young men who never returned home.

In our tour group, there was a woman from New Zealand whose family story brought the campaign’s human cost into sharp focus. She found the grave of her grandfather’s cousin, who had died during the campaign. Through the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records, she located his final resting place among the rows of white headstones that now mark the peninsula’s cemeteries. She later shared that other family members had survived Gallipoli only to die later at the Battle of the Somme, where over 57,000 British casualties occurred on a single day.

A Source of National Pride

For Turkey, Gallipoli represents far more than a military victory – it embodies the spirit of national resistance and the birth of modern Turkish identity. The campaign is celebrated as a defining moment when Ottoman forces, under Kemal’s leadership, successfully repelled a major Allied invasion. This victory became a rallying point for Turkish nationalism and continues to be commemorated as a source of immense national pride.

The Turkish government established the Gallipoli Peninsula Historical National Park in 1973, covering over 33,000 hectares and including it in the United Nations list of National Parks and Protected Areas. The park serves both as a historical preserve and a place of pilgrimage for Turks, who visit in large numbers to pay their respects to the “Martyrs of Çanakkale”.

See more photos of Gallipoli here