An altar, thought to be 1800 years old, was unearthed during the excavations carried out in the Ancient City of Savatra in Konya's Karatay district under the direction of Selçuk University (SU) Faculty of Letters, Head of the Cultural Heritage Preservation and Restoration Department, Assoc. Dr. İlker Işık.

Savatra Ancient City is located in Yağlıbayat District in Konya's Karatay district. The history of the city dates back 5 thousand years ago. It is stated that the altar, located at a depth of 1.5 meters in the theater section of the region, dates back to the 2nd-3rd century AD and is approximately 1800 years old. The reliefs on the altar are thought to symbolize military victories during the Roman period. Mosaics, statues and coins from the Roman period were previously found in the ancient city.

The excavations were carried out by Selçuk University, Faculty of Letters, Head of the Department of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, Assoc. Prof.  Dr İlker Işık. Stating that the altar was found during the removal of the blocks that had fallen on the steps, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Işık said, “We continue our work at 3 different points. The altar, built and donated by the Aurelia organization or dynasty, coincides with the findings we found in the Roman theater and gives us an idea that the period of this place was the second or third century AD."

Stating that the theater in the Ancient City of Savatra is not a structure where artistic works are exhibited alone, Assoc. Prof. Dr.Işık said, “It is also a parliament building and a center of democracy.We saw that important families showed their presence as senators and helped with construction activities.This is the Roman Military Garrison Headquarters.We see that it has been a border garrison region to protect Konya for hundreds of years, and it has an autonomous government system that is self-governing in the sense of democracy.This is the first time we come across such an altar."

Stating that Çatalhüyük is a brand and prestige excavation in terms of Konya history, Assoc. Prof. Dr.Işık said, “The existence of these findings from the Neolithic period is very valuable to us, but since there is no city excavation covering the ancient period, the existence of Savatra is very important in filling this chronological gap.It is estimated that the theater, which was redesigned during the Byzantine period and used for different purposes, had a capacity of approximately 1,500 people.We carry out the excavations with the support of Konya Metropolitan Municipality and Karatay Municipality.We wish to bring a beautiful ancient theater to our city with the restoration work to be carried out here.We are faced with kilometers of underground corridors.I thank Selçuk University Rector Prof. Dr. Metin Aksoy for their support.”