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Yazılıkaya, Midas City and the Phrygian Valley
Historical Sites

Yazılıkaya, Midas City and the Phrygian Valley

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For anyone who first gets to know Eskişehir by arriving on the train and walking the lanes of Odunpazarı and the banks of the Porsuk, the city's real depth begins to the south, among the volcanic tuff rocks.

Han, Eskişehir
Historical Sites
Radar Editör
October 15, 2026

About Trip

For anyone who first gets to know Eskişehir by arriving on the train and walking the lanes of Odunpazarı and the banks of the Porsuk, the city's real depth begins to the south, among the volcanic tuff rocks. At Yazılıkaya, in the district of Han, right beside the village houses, stands the most magnificent facade the Phrygians carved into the rock some two thousand six hundred years ago. This piece describes that facade, the Midas City plateau on which it sits and the surrounding Phrygian Valley as a day trip.

The ceremonial city of the Phrygians

The Eskişehir Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism writes that the political centre of the Phrygian kingdom was Gordion, while Midas City is regarded as its most important centre of belief and ceremony from the very beginning of the kingdom. The settlement was built on the steep tuff plateau that rises just west of the village, at the southern end of the Yazılıkaya Valley. According to the measurements given by the directorate, the plateau is about 650 metres long and 320 metres wide, and rises between 60 and 70 metres above the valley floor. The city is thought to have been walled in Phrygian times, yet not a single stone of the wall remains in place today. Instead, foundation sockets cut like steps can be seen at certain points of the rock, and in places they suggest that there was more than one line of fortification.

The plateau was guarded by forts standing higher up. The source names them as Akpara Kale, Pişmiş Kale, Gökgöz Kale and Kocabaş Kale, all placed to watch the roads reaching the valley from the west and the north. Midas City was not abandoned after the kingdom fell politically; according to the directorate, the Phrygian rock structures continued in use, with some additions, in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The Yazılıkaya archaeological site is listed among the areas considered suitable for nomination to the World Heritage List.

Getting there

Yazılıkaya lies south of Eskişehir city centre, between 75 and 80 kilometres away according to the sources. The provincial directorate writes that the site is reached by an asphalt road of about 39 kilometres from Çifteler and about 30 kilometres from Seyitgazi. Plan this trip with a car; on rural routes, check regular public transport options with local sources before setting out. Someone who reaches Eskişehir on a morning high speed train can drive to the valley before noon and be back in the city by evening; plan the day accordingly.

In front of the Midas Monument

The first structure you see on arriving in the village is the Midas Monument, carved into the rock mass that juts forward at the northeastern foot of the plateau. The Culture Portal and the provincial directorate describe it as the most magnificent example of Phrygian rock facades. The monument faces east; it is 17 metres high and 16.5 metres wide, and stands between 1.20 and 1.80 metres above the ground. The facade is worked like the front of a temple: at the top is an acroterion made of two facing arcs, and beneath it the pediment and wall are covered with geometric motifs. The large niche in the centre represents a door. According to the sources, a statue of the Mother Goddess Matar was placed in this niche during ceremonies.

The monument takes its name from the inscription on it. In the first inscription, 11 metres long and cut into the levelled bedrock at the upper left, the word Midai can be read, and the villagers called the rock Yazılıkaya, the inscribed rock, because of its writing; today both names are used together. The English Wikipedia renders this inscription as a text in which a person named Ates dedicates the monument to Midas, and notes that Midas's titles also appear in it. In the second inscription, 4.75 metres long on the right side frame, the word Baba stands out. The third inscription runs inside the small niche to the left of the monument, starting on the left wall and continuing on the back and right walls. The directorate stresses that the inscriptions can be read but their meanings have not been deciphered with certainty.

The sources do not agree on the date of the monument. The Culture Portal dates it to the first half of the 6th century BC, the Turkish Wikipedia gives the 600s BC, and the English Wikipedia, based on various indications, places its construction in the early to mid 7th century BC. What can be said with confidence is that the facade is one of the early and most impressive examples in the series of Phrygian rock monuments.

The story of how the facade was studied is also interesting. According to the provincial directorate, the monument was first examined in 1800 by W. M. Leake and his companions, who made a rough drawing of it. In 1834 Charles Texier studied the monument and prepared a faithful engraving of it. Excavations were carried out in front of the monument in 1936 and 1937; beneath fill that was up to three metres thick in places, they uncovered a courtyard of roughly 17 by 19 metres sloping to the north, and to its south a floor cut into the rock belonging to a colonnaded gallery, with four column bases. Researchers believe there was a large open air ceremonial complex here made up of the facade, an open courtyard and the gallery. Standing on the flat ground in front of the monument and picturing the edges of that courtyard is the best way to grasp the scale of the facade.

On top of the plateau

After seeing the monument, climb onto the plateau. The directorate writes that the main entrance of the city was on the east and that the ramped road cut into the bedrock is known as the Royal Road; figurative reliefs were carved on the rock masses that line the ramp. On the plateau you can see monumental stepped altars hewn from the bedrock, two vaulted tunnels reached down rock cut stairways and, on the lower terrace to the southwest, monumental rock cisterns. Facades large and small, niches and chamber tombs line the surrounding cliffs. Looking down into the valley from the edge of the plateau, it becomes easy to understand why the Phrygians chose this rock: every direction is under watch.

About 200 metres southwest of the Midas Monument, at the western foot of the plateau, stands the Unfinished Monument. On this facade, seven metres high and ten metres wide, the disproportion between the sizes of the architectural elements shows that the work was left before it was completed as planned. The pediment is decorated with lozenge motifs and the broad frieze with bud and palmette motifs. A half finished facade is a good chance to see in what order the craftsmen worked the rock; notice where the carving stops.

Little Yazılıkaya and the monuments of the valley

Heading about 1.7 kilometres north of the village towards Çatalkaya, you reach the Areyastis Monument on the west side of the road. It takes its name from the word Areyastin read in the inscription to the right of the top acroterion, and locally it is also known as Hasanbey Kayası. The provincial directorate describes it as the best preserved monumental facade to survive. The facade is 5.50 metres high and 4.20 metres wide; its triangular pediment carries two relief windows, and its frames bear a band of square panels. Its three inscriptions are clearly legible, but their meanings are unknown. A note is in order: the directorate uses the name Little Yazılıkaya for both this monument and the Unfinished Monument, so keep that confusion in mind when reading local signs. Across the road, on top of the steep plateaus, you can see Gökgöz Kale and Pişmiş Kale.

If you have time, continue to the Doğanlı Valley. Gerdekkaya, carved into the eastern face of a large rock about 500 metres southwest of the village of Çukurca, shows a Doric facade with a triangular pediment carried on two columns. The provincial directorate dates it to the Hellenistic Age, between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC; behind the entrance hall there are two rooms entered through separate doors, and the structure continued in use with alterations in the Roman and Byzantine periods. Compared with the Phrygian facades of Yazılıkaya, it shows how different architectural languages spoke in the same valley over the centuries.

Walking the Phrygian Way

Yazılıkaya is not only an archaeological site but also the meeting point of a long walking route. According to the English Wikipedia, the Phrygian Way is a marked walking and cycling route with a total length of 506 kilometres, whose three branches, starting at Seydiler in Afyonkarahisar, Yenice Çiftliği in Kütahya and Gordion in Ankara, converge at Yazılıkaya. A team of volunteers completed the route in 2013 after about five years of work, and the trail was waymarked in red and white according to international standards.

The Culture Portal lists ten day trails for the Phrygian Valley. One of them, a 15.5 kilometre trail that descends to Yazılıkaya via Gökbahçe, Oynaş and Gökçegüney, passes the farmland of the Phrygians and natural rock formations and brings the walker straight out in front of the Midas Monument. Another, a 14 kilometre trail that starts southeast of Yazılıkaya and crosses a hill covered with juniper forest to reach the village of Yapıldak, takes in Byzantine rock cut spaces and chamber tombs with relief decoration from the Roman and Byzantine periods. For a day's walk, choosing one of these two and returning to the start with vehicle support is a sensible plan.

Underground galleries in Han

On the way back it is worth stopping at the district centre, Han. According to the provincial directorate, there are underground galleries here carved into the natural rock, with spaces on several levels linked by corridors and, at the lowest level, connected to a water channel coming from the north. On the walls and ceilings of a three room burial section you can see rosette, lozenge and leaf motifs. There is no firm evidence of when the galleries were made; the directorate writes that they were dug for defence against a long lasting threat and that the danger that first comes to mind is the raids that increased from the 7th century onwards. The remains show that the settlement here grew in the Roman period and became a military centre in the Byzantine period.

Season and time of day

Because the Midas Monument faces east, the facade catches the morning sun; for those who want to see and photograph the reliefs with their shadows, being in the valley before noon is a good choice. The plateau and the valley are open ground with little shade at midday in summer, so bring a hat and enough water. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons for walking. In winter roads and paths may be covered with snow, so check the weather before you set out.

Practical notes

Check the pages of the Eskişehir Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism and the Culture Portal for visiting conditions and any arrangements. Rock surfaces and steps can be slippery; wear sturdy shoes that support the ankle. Do not climb the monuments and do not touch the inscriptions or reliefs; these facades have stood against wind and frost for more than two thousand years. People live in the village, so use the paths without entering courtyards and fields. Those who want to see the portable finds can complete the trip by visiting the Eskişehir ETİ Archaeology Museum on their return to the city.

Sources

Location - Yazılıkaya, Midas City and the Phrygian Valley

Trip Info
CityHan, Eskişehir
TypeHistorical Sites
DateOctober 15, 2026
SourceRadar Editör
Radar TürkiyeAuthorRadar TürkiyeVisit SourceGet Directions