The 2026 Excavation Season Begins in Lystra

The 2026 excavation season has begun at the ancient city of Lystra in Meram. The third excavation season in the city, considered sacred by the Christian world, has drawn significant attention from visitors coming from all around the globe.

Hidden in the deep-rooted memory of Meram and brought to light from the dusty pages of time, the ancient city of Lystra continues to open a window onto humanity’s shared past with the 2026 excavation season. Launched in 2024 with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and supported by Konya Metropolitan Municipality, Necmettin Erbakan University, and Meram Municipality, the third season of the excavations has begun with great excitement and meticulous care.

Mentioned in the Bible, the city is one of the rare settlements holding a special place in the Christian world due to the visits of Saint Paul. Excavations carried out over the past two seasons have uncovered numerous finds, particularly the remains of a church and a chapel. The data obtained has provided important insights into the city’s multi-layered history.

In the 2026 season, efforts are focused on revealing new structures with different functions in order to better understand the architectural layout of the settlement. Within this scope, excavations around the church remains are continuing in two separate trenches, while work has also begun in the necropolis area this year.

Deputy Head of Excavations, Dr. Cahit Karakök, stated that they have begun the third season of the work and recalled that significant findings have been obtained so far. Noting that architectural structures continue to be brought to light, Karakök said that excavations around the church are ongoing and that new work has also started in the necropolis area.

Emphasizing that there has already been strong visitor interest in the ancient city despite the excavation season being at a very early stage, Karakök said, “In the first days of the season, hundreds of visitors from different countries, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, toured the site. International interest in Lystra is growing day by day.”

Karakök also noted that Lystra, visited by Saint Paul and mentioned in the Bible, is an important center for the Christian world, adding that this has increased interest in the city in terms of faith tourism.