The 2,000-year-old Roman bath located in Sarıkaya, a district of Türkiye's Yozgat, stands out as an exceptional example of Roman architecture preserved in Anatolia. This bath, with its well-preserved thermal structure, is one of the few ancient thermal baths still existing today.
In 2018, the Roman Bath was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. Following extensive landscaping and restoration works carried out by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s General Directorate for Cultural Heritage and Museums, the goal is to increase its accessibility to a wider audience and contribute to local tourism. With additions such as cafes, souvenir shops and walking paths, the design aims to blend the past with the present, ensuring that the structure welcomes visitors throughout the year.
Cihat Çakır, the director of the Yozgat Museum, emphasized that the Sarıkaya Roman Bath is one of the most significant historical and tourist sites in Yozgat. "The bath was commissioned by Antoninus Pius, one of the 'Five Good Emperors' of Rome, during the A.D. second century. It consists of three pools: a large one in the front and two smaller ones in the back. In 2018, the bath was added to the World Heritage Tentative List. Restoration and landscaping works were supported by our Ministry of Culture and it was officially opened to visitors," Çakır explained.
Çakır further elaborated on the unique features of the historic structure, stating, "One of the remarkable aspects of the Roman bath is that there are only two such baths in the world. The other one is in London. The water in this bath is thermal and is known for its healing properties. During the Roman period, it was called Aquae Sarvenae and during the Byzantine period, it was known as Basilica Therma. The bath continued to be in use not only during the Roman and Byzantine periods but also during the Anatolian Seljuk and Ottoman periods. It remains an essential historical asset for Yozgat, with much of its architecture still intact. The fact that only two such baths exist worldwide is significant for us."
