The ancient Greek city of Bargylia, now located in the town of Boğaziçi, Turkey, is up for grabs.
For just 35 million Turkish lira — or $7.5 million — any lucky buyer could walk away with some 81.5 acres of archaeological wonder that is otherwise at risk of decaying or looting by treasure hunters.
The 2,500-year-old city is considered a Grade 1 archaeological site and includes a theater, acropolis, fortification walls, and necropolis. Nowadays, cows graze around the ruins, while an old monastery houses an animal shelter.
Bargylia has been privately owned since 1927, but one of the city shareholders told Turkish newspaper Hürriyet that he is calling for the government to intervene, as he said he can no longer protect the ancient ruins by himself.
No scientific archeological excavation has ever been done on the site, only adding to the temptation for looters.
Archeologists hope that Turkey’s culture and tourism ministry purchases Bargylia and properly preserves the ruins. If not, a new owner could possibly downgrade the site’s Grade 1 status and build on top of it.
There were no buyers when the city first went up for sale in 2015; however, the newly-listed price is approximately $2 million lower than before.
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