Yazılıkaya, Eskişehir


Yazılıkaya, Phrygian Yazılıkaya, or Midas Kenti is a village in Eskişehir Province, Turkey known for its Phrygian archaeological remains and inscription mentioning Midas.
The ancient remains are sometimes called the Midas Monument or Midas City and were formerly identified as the tomb of Midas.
Yazılıkaya is about 27 km south of Seyitgazi, 66 km south of Eskişehir, and 51 km north of Afyonkarahisar.

The Midas Monument

The most prominent part of the Midas Monument is a high rock-cut facade with an incised decoration apparently showing a pedimented temple front with acroteria, faced with terra cotta and with a niche at the bottom center. The niche's walls bear graffiti reading MATAR and it probably held a statue of Cybele.
, reading ATES... MIDAI LAVAGTAEI VANAKTEI EDAES 'Ates.... has dedicated to Midas, leader of the people and ruler'.
The monument carries a dedication in Old Phrygian by Ates son of Arkias to Midas, and probably dates from the 7th or 6th century BCE. The inscription mentions Midas with his titles: MIDAI LAVAGTAEI VANAKTEI, probably meaning "leader of the people" and "ruler". The inscription is:

Excavation history

The site was excavated by the French Archaeological Institute immediately before and after the Second World War, and also in the 1990s by the Eskişehir Museum.