Tombs Near Turkey’s Issus Battlefield May Hold Alexander’s Soldiers

Rescue excavations beside an ancient Turkish port have uncovered a necropolis of dozens of rock-cut tombs, in a region Alexander the Great passed through on his way to one of the most consequential battles of his career.

A Necropolis by the Port

The excavations are underway at the necropolis of the ancient city of Aigai, coordinated by Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry and carried out by the Adana Museum Directorate, according to reporting by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency. Work has concentrated on the section of the necropolis closest to the ancient city’s harbor. An initial survey identified at least 30 rock-cut tombs and chest-type graves scattered across the site, though only 10 have been fully excavated so far.

Tombs Carved Into the Hillside

The rock-cut tombs are carved directly into the hillside, each featuring narrow corridors and staircases that descend to burial chambers below. Inside, stone platforms mark the spots where bodies were once placed. The separate chest-type tombs were finished with lime mortar, and several still show decorative rosette motifs. Archaeologists have also recovered terracotta sarcophagi, along with vessel fragments and tear bottles believed to have been left as grave offerings. Associate Professor Faris Demir, who directs the excavation, dates the necropolis to the Hellenistic period, spanning 323 to 31 BC, and notes it remained in continuous use through the Roman era. Much of the visible damage to the tombs, he says, likely accumulated gradually from the Middle Ages onward.

A City Founded for Alexander

According to Demir, Macedonian soldiers founded Aigai specifically in Alexander’s name. The surrounding region is also believed to be where Alexander the Great prepared for the Battle of Issus in 333 BC, remembered as his second great victory in the conquest of Asia, where he defeated the Persian king Darius III. That combination of circumstances, a city built by his own soldiers, in the exact region where he readied for one of his defining battles, raises a real possibility: some of these newly uncovered tombs may actually belong to the men who marched and fought under him. Demir is careful to note that further study is still needed before any firm conclusion can be drawn.

What Happens to the Finds

The artifacts recovered so far, including the terracotta sarcophagi and the grave goods found alongside them, will undergo careful restoration and further study before eventually going on display at the Adana Museum.

Part of a Wider Push to Protect Alexander’s Battlefields

This find follows a separate move earlier in 2026, when Turkey officially registered the battlefield of Granikos, the site of Alexander’s first major victory over the Persians, as a protected Historical Site. Announcing that designation on social media, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy called Granikos a turning point that changed the course of world history, noting the decision followed archaeological and scientific surveys carried out ahead of a formal review by the Çanakkale Regional Board for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. That designation extended protected status to both the battlefield itself and its surrounding area, part of a broader pattern of Turkish heritage authorities working to formally safeguard sites connected to Alexander’s campaigns across Anatolia.

Sources

This report draws on original reporting by Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, as covered by The Jerusalem Post.