Pessinous, Sacred City of the Anatolian Mother

The archaeological guides are written by well known archaeologists with the thought that they might evoke the spirit of these places for those are intersted in remains of Anatolian civilizations. Illustrated with beauitiful photographs, equipped with helpful plans and drawings, they are essential to travellers to Turkey. Pessinous, the sacred city of the Anatolian Mother Goddess Kybele, is situated cenrally on the Anatolian plateau, about 150 km southwest of the capital Ankara. A major part of the ancient city is situated under the modern village of Ballıhisar. According to tradition, the site dates back to the Phrygian era as a cult site and settlement. The famous King Midas himself is supposed to have founded Pessinous and ercted the first sanctuary of Kybele in the 8 centruy BC. The cult of the mother Goddess spread first across the Greek world and then from Pessinous throughout the Roman Empire, and conquered the classical world. The excavations that have been carried out at the site since 1967 by the Belgian Archaeological teams of Ghent Universty have heart of ancient Pessinous.