A panel of experts from the International Council on Monuments and Sites recently visited and examined the ancient site of Gordion, where the legendary Phrygian King Midas eternally rests, and a decision of whether the site can be added on UNESCO'S World Heritage List will be made in the coming months.

by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The ancient site of Gordion, where the legendary Phrygian King Midas eternally rests, is expected to be Turkish capital Ankara's first site to enter UNESCO'S World Heritage List, a move which would boost tourism.

A panel of experts from the International Council on Monuments and Sites recently visited and examined Polatli district near Ankara, where the site is located, and a decision will be made in the coming months.

Gordion, a region located about 80 km southwest of the Turkish capital, teems with dozens of burial mounds, man-made hills built over the tombs of deceased people.

The Great Mound at Gordion is the second-largest burial mound in Turkey, with a height of 55 meters and a diameter of 300 meters, visible from a great distance away.

The ancient city was the capital of the Phrygians who ruled Western Anatolia between the 12th and 7th centuries B.C.

"There are over 125 burial mounds in this region of Phrygian dignitaries and noblemen," Kadim Koc, a researcher and the head of a local historical association, told Xinhua.

He is very hopeful of a positive decision from UNESCO in early 2022.

"The Phrygians who came from Europe into Anatolia have left an important legacy for us, and we want visitors to discover it as well," koc said.

The Midas Mound is one of the key attractions in Gordion. The site was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites' Tentative List in 2012.

Koc explained that the log-cabin-like tomb as well as its grave goods, furnitures and food offerings are all buried beneath an artificial hill excavated in the late 1950s.

King Midas is an important figure in Ancient Greek and Roman legends, infamous for being greedy. According to tradition, the king is granted the chance to wish for anything he wants by Dionysos, the God of Wine.

Midas, filled with greed, wishes to have the power to turn everything he touches to gold, from where comes the idiom the "Midas Touch".

Midas' father Gordias is the founder of the Phrygian capital Gordion. Some archaeologists believe that the mound is actually the burial ground of Gordias rather than Midas.

Gordias is also connected to a famous saying that is still relevant today. "The Gordian Knot," commonly used to describe a complex or unsolvable problem, is attributed to him.

"The intact wooden tomb under the Midas Mound Tumulus has no parallel anywhere," UNESCO said.

Koc believes the site is underrated as it does not figure in the list of prominent archeological vestiges in Turkey.

He hopes that once included in UNESCO'S list, tourists will flock here to discover the enigmatic site.

"We believe that it will become a major tourist attraction. We have the duty to promote the area which has been very generous archaeologically to us," Koc added.