The restoration of the 26.5-meter-high lighthouse in the ancient city of Patara in Kaş, Antalya, built by Roman Emperor Nero and completely destroyed in the 1481 tsunami, has been completed. The scaffolding has been removed, and it has been resurrected as it was 544 years ago. Prof. Dr. Havva İşkan Işık shared the latest photos of the lighthouse and called for Nero's light to be lit.

In the ancient city of Patara in Kaş, which dates back to 6000 BC, the 26.5-meter-high lighthouse, built by Roman Emperor Nero and completely destroyed in the 1481 tsunami, was seen for the first time after the scaffolding was removed following restoration. The restoration project of the Patara Lighthouse, which was rebuilt after 544 years, was initiated during Münir Karaloğlu's term as Governor of Antalya, as part of the declaration of 2020 as the 'Year of Patara' in tourism.

SEEN AS IT WAS ORIGINALLY

The lighthouse, one of the most important among the hundreds of historical artifacts unearthed during excavations started 37 years ago by Prof. Dr. Fahri Işık from Akdeniz University and his wife Havva İşkan Işık, was built in 64 AD by Roman Emperor Nero. Approximately 80% of the original stones unearthed during excavations were used, and artificial intelligence technologies were used to place them in their original positions before the destruction. Prof. Dr. Havva İşkan Işık, who announced last week that the restoration works, which started in 2020 and lasted nearly 5 years, had been completed and who served as the deputy head of excavations and head of excavations at Patara excavations from 1988 until her retirement in 2023, also shared images of the lighthouse after the scaffolding surrounding the 26.5-meter tower was removed. The resurrected lighthouse was seen as it was 544 years ago with the removal of the scaffolding.

LANDSCAPING WILL BE DONE

Prof. Dr. Havva İşkan Işık, who shared photos of the lighthouse after the scaffolding was removed, said, "Thank God, thank God. You did not disappoint those who created this miracle with their labor, thank God. The restoration works carried out at the Patara Emperor Nero Lighthouse have come to an end. The lighthouse will be opened to visitors after the podium steps, the door, and the statue base of the Lycian Provincial Governor Sextus Marcius Priskus are placed and the landscaping is completed."

'MY WISH IS FOR THE LIGHT OF THE LIGHTHOUSE TO SHINE'

Prof. Dr. Havva İşkan Işık also called for the light of the Patara Lighthouse to be lit again, as it was in historical periods, to guide ships at sea after the restoration was completed. Prof. Dr. Işık said, "My wish is for the light of the lighthouse to shine. Thus, its purpose and function will also be realized. This will also become a complementary element to the restoration of the lighthouse symbolically. And also, all the cruise ships and other ships passing in front of Patara Beach, because they usually pass at night, will announce when they see the light of that lighthouse, 'We are currently passing through Patara in Antalya, Turkey, and we are lighting Nero's light'. It will also be important for the promotion of Turkey," she said.

'IT TOOK 20 YEARS'

Prof. Dr. Işık, who explained that she was there every day of the excavations that lasted 37 years in Patara, 16 years of which were as the head of excavations, said, "I owe a great debt of gratitude to our Presidency, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Governorship of Antalya, the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, and the YİKOB employees, who made the restoration of this lighthouse possible. The excavation and reconstruction of the lighthouse took 20 years, and I feel like it's my own child. I would like to thank everyone who contributed," she said.