The Turkish capital, which has been the cradle of a variety of civilizations, is watching as a significant archeological dig takes place at Augustus Temple in the Ulus area.

The temple stands next to the Hacıbayram Mosque. The dig aims to clean up the areas dug in the temple in the 1930s and bring a wealth of new history to light.

The deputy director of the Anatolian Civilizations Museum, Emel Yurttagül, is leading the dig, with help from experts from Ankara University. In the coming days, a delegation of archeologists from Italy’s Trieste University, under the direction of Professor Paula Botteri, is expected to join in the project.

The dig, which began Sept. 15, was sparked by the need for certain factors at the historical site: a new detailed plan of the site, refurbishment of broken or damaged pieces of the building and restoration of the site. Within this framework, the archeological dig at Augustus will allow experts to examine historical evidence that was uncovered almost a century ago.

“The digs at the Augustus Temple began one month ago, and for as long as weather permits, will continue for another two months or so,” said Orhan Düzgün, general director of Cultural Treasures and Museums. “The Augustus Temple was used as a pagan temple and then later as a church. Later, when the Hacıbayram Mosque was built alongside it, this also became known as the area with the Hacıbayram Mosque. So, this really is one of the areas of our country that portrays the high level of tolerance between religions.”

“After Muslims took over this region, the sections of this temple that were used as a pagan temple and later as a church were not touched, and in fact part of the mosque’s roof was built over one of the walls of this site, which really showed that religions could coexist in tolerance.”

The Augustus Temple was built after Roman Emperor Augustus annexed the lands of Galatians and Ancyra (Ankara) into the Roman Empire in the year 25 B.C. The temple, known in Latin as Monumentum Ancyranum, was dedicated to Rome and built in honor of the Emperor Augustus and the city’s local goddess.

During its restoration, an important text -- the spiritual testament of the Emperor Augustus -- was uncovered. This text, written in red, is called “Res Gestae Divi Augusti.” Though it wasn’t until the archeological efforts in the 1930s that the full extent of the architectural wonders in the Augustus Temple was uncovered, a delegation was sent during the 16th century from Germany to the Ottoman Empire. During the delegation’s tour of the lands, an examination of the temple caused the men to later call the site a palace or theater on their return to Europe.

The temple was listed in October 2001 by the World Monuments Watch as one of the top 100 archeological sites that needs to be protected as a shared piece of world history.