Ambar: Following the Traces of Ancient Sidamaria

Ambar is identified with the ancient city of Sidamaria. Travelers interested in ancient history will find several specific points of interest: inscriptions and a sarcophagus, Ambar Höyük, and the tombs of Köşkerlik. The landscape and village houses provide the setting.

Sidamaria: City History and Inscriptions

Archaeological and epigraphic evidence indicates that Sidamaria was an important city in Roman and early Christian times. It stood at a major crossroads where routes from Herakleia (Ereğli), Kana (Beşağıl), Ikonium (Konya), Laranda, and the coast converged. These route connections are part of the city’s historical context.

A Greek inscription attributed to Hadrian and found in Ambar records the name Sidamaria. An inscription dated to Hadrian’s reign indicates that the city had a bath. The Sidamaria sarcophagus found in Ambar is dated to around 250 AD and is on display at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. Together, these different finds connect the place name, city life, and a specific archaeological object.

Ambar, or Sidemara, Höyük is registered as a first- and second-degree archaeological site dating from the Roman and Byzantine periods. This designation adds to the evidence of Sidamaria’s importance in Roman and early Christian times.

Ambar Höyük and the Present-Day Village

Ambar Höyük lies at the southern foot of a rocky hill north of the village. Local people call the hill “Kale”; it measures 200 × 170 meters. Village houses surround it to the south, east, and west, but not to the north. The hill is therefore part of a setting where the archaeological landscape and the village are closely connected.

Earlier researchers reported wall remains on Ambar Höyük and wall lines extending toward the plain. No wall remains are visible on the höyük today. Nor are any remains of ancient buildings visible in the village, apart from scattered architectural blocks. The hill, its location, and the scattered blocks are therefore important reference points in the village’s present-day appearance.

Wide, fertile plains surround Ambar Höyük. Rocky rises bound the plain to the east; to the south, north, and west, the landscape continues as a broad, flat expanse. The rocky eastern edge and the open plain in the other directions define the landscape around the hill.

Rock-Cut Tombs and Khamasoria in Köşkerlik

Köşkerlik lies about 350 meters northeast of Ambar Höyük and immediately north of the present-day village cemetery. The rocky area contains rock-cut tombs and numerous khamasoria. Five rock-cut tombs are arranged on the upper southern slope of the rocky ridge. Their entrances face southeast; the tombs consist of rectangular entrances, square burial chambers, and simple klinai.

In the rocky area between the rock-cut tombs and the present-day village cemetery are 21 khamasoria. The spatial description thus distinguishes the rock-cut tombs arranged on the southern slope from the khamasoria in the area between them. Together with Köşkerlik’s approximate location northeast of the höyük, these features offer several specific points from which to explore Ambar’s archaeological landscape.

Discover more destinations: Akçaşehir Municipality, Koşaşlı, Alaçatı, Karaman, Kazımkarabekir, Ermenek, Ayrancı.

Go to the main travel overview: Karaman.