Archaeologists who found the temple of the ancient goddess Kubaba in Turkey are very excited

The priests of the ancient cult walked barefoot on hot coals

The ruins of a temple dedicated to the goddess Kubaba have been discovered for the first time in the ancient city of Kastabala in southern Turkey. Scientists do not hide their excitement due to the unique nature of the archaeological discovery.

The ruins of the temple of the goddess Kubaba were found in the ancient city of Castabala, the site reports arkeonews.net. The ancient city of Kastabala is located about 12 kilometers north-northwest of Osmaniye province, along the road from Cevdetie to Karatepe Museum, in the center of the villages of Kesmeburun, Bahce and Kazmaca.

Kastabala, located in the southern region of Turkey, is an ancient city steeped in history and mythology. Located in Osmaniye Province, this archaeological site displays the remains of a rich past dating back to the Hittite and Assyrian periods. The city was a significant center during the Hellenistic and Roman eras, boasting temples, city walls and various structures reflecting its cultural and religious significance.

The excavations, which began at the end of a historic colonnaded street, uncovered the ruins of a temple built by the Luwians, considered Anatolia’s oldest indigenous people, to honor their goddess Kubaba.

The head of the excavations, Associate Professor of the Department of Archeology at Osmania Korkut Ata University (OKU) Faris Demir told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the ancient city is the oldest holy city in the region of plain Cilicia.

Explaining that the ancient city was located in the center of the cultural region of the Luwians, Demir said: “During the excavations of a colonnaded street, the ruins of a building, a temple, were discovered, which we attribute to the archaic period, that is, 540 BC. Aramaic inscriptions located in the hinterland of Kastabala mention the lands of Kastabala and Qubaba. These building ruins that we have excavated must be a temple belonging to the goddess Kubaba. The priests of this archaic temple walked on hot coals barefoot, without feeling any pain. These ruins, which provide extraordinary information about Anatolian archeology, have us very excited.”

Demir said excavations at the ancient city of Kastabala will continue to provide extraordinary information to Anatolian archaeology.

Demir also spoke about Goddess Kubaba and said: “Goddess Kubaba is a local Anatolian goddess. The fact that we stumbled upon the temple of this goddess made us very excited. This is the first time that the ruins of such a temple belonging to Qubaba have been found in Anatolian archeology.”

Kubaba was usually depicted as a majestic figure, wrapped in a long robe, standing or seated and holding a mirror. Her character is poorly known. It was first mentioned in texts from Kanesh and Alalakh, although its main cult center was Carchemish, notes arkeonews.net.