Bodrum's restored ancient theater to promote cultural tourism [ Halicarnassus ]

Turkish Daily News ^ | Tuesday, December 5, 2006 | unattributed

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The restoration of backstage rooms and tunnels discovered three years ago underneath the 2,500-year-old theater in the ancient city of Halicarnassus (modern-day Bodrum) has been completed, with the opening of the rooms to visitors planned for the coming tourism season... Three huge backstage rooms as well as two long tunnels -- one measures 30 meters and the other 150 -- used by spectators and artists to pass underneath the theater were restored... There are three nearly 40-square-meter backstage rooms carved out of the rock in the area, and archeologists estimate that there are at least 10 more backstage rooms underneath the theater. Özcan said the backstage rooms discovered underneath the 13,000-person-capacity theater were the oldest in the region, adding: "When we came across the rock rooms and tunnels, we first thought they were tombs or catacombs, which are common to the area. However, further work indicated no evidence for tombs, such as skeletons, but revealed that they were backstage rooms and tunnels used by spectators and artists. We estimate that there are at least 10 more similar backstage rooms underneath the theater."

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The Hellenistic period backstage rooms and tunnels unearthed three years ago beneath the ancient theater in Bodrum are supposed to be the oldest such structures in the region. Tourists will have a chance to view the new areas from next May

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