SEVERAL historical artifacts in the theater of the ancient city of Nysa in Aydın have been taken under protection and have begun being exhibited at the Aydın Archaeology Museum.

Governor Selim Köşger, who made a speech at the opening of the “Nysa Theater Podium Friezes”, said they had accelerated works to bring tourists to the city throughout the year.

He said the works carried out to open 22 ancient cities in Denizli to visitors were set to be finished in one to two years.

“This is enough for us to be ashamed about. It’s something that shows we don’t know the value of what we have nor do we know how to protect it. We still cannot say we are doing a good job of protecting them now. There is a path that passes through the ancient city of Nysa. We are also transferring it outside of the ancient city this year. This way, there will be control over access [to the ancient city],” said Köşger, noting there had been six thefts over the past years in Nysa, one of the most important ancient sites in the city.

Head of excavations in the ancient city, associate professor Hakan Öztaner said there had been many thefts in the field since the beginning of the excavations in the 1960s.

Due to the thefts, they decided to take the podium friezes in the theatre under protection, said Öztaner. The friezes have both architectural and historical value.

“In 2006, we saw we would not be able to protect them in their original places and took their copies from 2006 to 2009. The molding process lasted from 2012 to 2016. Some of the artifacts that had been stolen were found but some pieces could not be found,” he said.

Twenty-eight frieze blocks, making up a total length of 38 meters, surround the podium on the stage of the ancient theatre.