{"id":62265,"date":"2026-04-28T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/the-civilization-the-phrygians-carved-into-stone-and-earth-gordion-ancient-city\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T16:03:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:03:43","slug":"gordion-ancient-city-legendary-capital-of-the-phrygians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/en\/gordion-ancient-city-legendary-capital-of-the-phrygians\/","title":{"rendered":"The civilization the Phrygians carved into stone and earth: Gordion Ancient City"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A prophecy, a farmer, a kingdom: How was Gordion born?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The archaeological excavation area of the palace complex at Gordion Ancient City in Polatl\u0131, Ankara<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Information about the ancient city of Gordion begins with Gordios, the figure who gave it its name. According to Phrygian legend, when the people sought a remedy for political turmoil, they consulted an oracle. The prophecy was clear: the first person to pass in front of the temple with an ox cart would become the new king. That person was none other than Gordios, a humble farmer who brought straw from his fields to sell in the city. The people declared him king, and Gordios dedicated his cart to the gods, tying it to the temple. The impossibly intricate knot at the cart’s yoke, the Gordian Knot, remained one of the most famous riddles in world history for centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the legends, Gordion\u2019s history is equally remarkable. Archaeological evidence shows that settlement at Gordion dates to the Early Bronze Age, around 2500 BCE. During the Hittite Empire, the region held administrative importance because of its strategic position on the western frontier; Hittite seals and ceramic finds uncovered in excavations clearly demonstrate this connection. After the collapse of the Hittites around 1200 BCE, the Phrygians, migrating from the Balkans into Anatolia, settled in these fertile lands and made Gordion the center of their new state. By the 9th century BCE, what had once been a small village had transformed into a fortress-city surrounded by massive walls and had become the capital of the Phrygian Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The choice of Gordion as a settlement was no accident. The city lay at the intersection of major trade routes across Anatolia, along the ancient corridor stretching from Lydia to Assyria and Babylon. The Sakarya River provided ample water, and the surrounding plains were well suited to agriculture and animal husbandry. These geographic advantages made Gordion a strategic center, drawing the attention of dominant powers from the Bronze Age onward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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King Midas: The ruler behind the golden touch<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The entrance corridor of the Great Tumulus at Gordion Ancient City in Polatl\u0131, Ankara<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Known in mythology for the gift and curse of turning everything he touched into gold, King Midas was, according to historical sources, a powerful Phrygian ruler who reigned in the late 8th century BCE. Referred to as \u201cMita\u201d in Assyrian records, he conducted some of the most significant diplomatic relations of his time, elevating Gordion to a political and cultural peak. The legendary \u201cgolden touch\u201d motif is a mythological layer that was added to this historical figure over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the history of the ancient city of Gordion, the reign of King Midas stands out as particularly significant. Around 800 BCE, Gordion was shaken by a great fire. Yet history presents a strange irony. That destructive fire effectively sealed away invaluable evidence of Phrygian culture. A clay layer up to five meters thick covered the remains, preserving the structures beneath, along with objects and even food remains, for thousands of years. Archaeologists note that this destruction has opened an unparalleled window into the elite sector of an Iron Age citadel, making it one of the most important fixed points in the chronology of Central Anatolia. The fact that the city\u2019s inhabitants were able to save only their lives, leaving behind all their belongings in the fire, ultimately left an extraordinary archaeological legacy for future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to feel Gordion\u2019s hidden history on site, descend into King Midas\u2019s tumulus, and walk the lands where Alexander the Great once swung his sword, start planning this unforgettable journey right away by booking a flight to Ankara<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Alexander the Great and the cutting of the Gordian Knot<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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An illustration of Alexander the Great cutting the famous Gordian Knot with his sword in Gordion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 334 BCE, during his campaign against the Persian Empire, Alexander the Great spent his first winter in the ancient city of Gordion. At the time, the city served as a strategic gathering point for his army. The legendary knot he encountered in the temple at Gordion became the setting for one of the most widely known symbolic moments in world history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what is the Gordian Knot? According to the prophecy, whoever could untie it would rule all of Asia. The moment Alexander cut it with his sword, or, according to some sources, solved it by pulling out the yoke pin, it became not only a legend but also a universal symbol of determination and unconventional thinking. The story gave rise to the phrase \u201cto cut the Gordian knot\u201d across many languages and etched Gordion into the shared memory of world mythology and history. In the years after Alexander\u2019s visit, Gordion evolved from a Phrygian fortress into a major city of the Hellenistic period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, make sure to check out 22 sites from T\u00fcrkiye inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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