Bintepeler Lydian Tumuli

Sardis served as the capital of the Lydians (8th–6th centuries BC), a powerful Iron Age civilisation distinguished by its wealth and early coinage. The city possessed a distinctive urban arrangement comprising various quarters, including its walls, terraces, residential areas, sacred places and burial grounds. The Bin Tepe cemetery contains some of the world’s largest tumulus tombs. The Lydians developed a separate language and religious system and are extensively referred to in Greek, Roman and European texts. After their decline, Sardis continued to preserve its importance under Persian, Greek, Roman and Byzantine rule.