The ancient city of Knidos, located near the resort town of Datça on the Aegean, has become the target of illegal excavations and treasure hunters.

The gendarmerie station in the 2,600-year-old city is closed in the winter months, and security is provided by two watchmen. The police and gendarmerie forces caught treasure hunters near the ancient city last week, raising doubts about the protection of the ancient site.

Akın Pilavcı, the chairman of the Datça Local History Association, told the Doğan news agency that the ancient city of Knidos was not protected enough and called for action from the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

“It is not possible to protect the ancient city of Knidos with only two or three watchmen,” said Pilavcı. “The ruins are located on a very wide area and the gendarmerie is there only for the summer, and in the winter they only send patrols, which are not enough.”

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via Treasure hunters target ancient city of Knidos | Hurriyet Daily News.