A pool with a second life: from hydraulics to healing
For decades, the monumental Roman Pool at Bahçeli (Bor, Niğde, Türkiye) was described as part of Tyana’s water-supply system. The 2025 excavations revealed it as a therapeutic center linked to Asklepios, the Greco-Roman god of healing. Archaeologists found an altar with snake motifs and sculptural fragments, showing the site once served as a healing sanctuary, not just infrastructure.
Firm dating: an imperial inscription narrows the window
An inscription discovered this season connects the complex to the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. It suggests construction or dedication occurred between AD 177 and 180—a notably narrow three-year span.
This inscription both anchors the chronology and underscores the site’s civic importance in the late 2nd century AD.
Architecture and cult: what the evidence suggests
- Cult pieces—such as the serpent-adorned altar and Asklepios fragments—show the pool served as a sanctuary where water and ritual merged. This aligns with other Asklepieia, where bathing, rest, and offerings were central to healing.
- Remains on the east façade also suggest a small temple or cult room dedicated to Asklepios, seamlessly built into the pool’s grand design.
Regional impact: Niğde and Cappadocia archaeology
Project director Prof. Osman Doğanay (Aksaray University) emphasizes the discovery’s value for Niğde–Cappadocia archaeology. It challenges an 80-year-old assumption about the pool’s purpose. The work is part of Türkiye’s “Geleceğe Miras” program, set to continue in 2026. After restoration and landscaping, the site will open to visitors.
A New Lens on Sacred Water: Faith, Healing, and Engineering Intertwined
Recasting Bahçeli’s pool as a healing sanctuary enriches our understanding of medical religiosity in central Anatolia and shows how hydraulic monuments doubled as sacred therapeutic spaces in the High Empire—bridging infrastructure, health, and cult in a single civic complex.
Sources
- İhlas Haber Ajansı (TR): “Niğde ve Kapadokya arkeolojisi için önemli keşif,” Nov 7, 2025. Key details: Asklepios altar and snake motifs; east-side cult remains; Marcus Aurelius & Commodus inscription (AD 177–180); “Geleceğe Miras” project; 2026 plans.
- AnatolianArchaeology (EN): “The Roman Pool of Bahçeli turns out to be a healing sanctuary,” summarizing the 2025 season and Asklepios identification
- Context on Asklepios healing sanctuaries: UNESCO World Heritage (Epidaurus).
