From the Turkish Press:

Excavations in Truva (Troy) Ancient City (the archaeological site at Hisarlik in Turkey was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1998) have been continued for 20 years.

German archaeologist Prof. Dr. Ernst Pernicka, who leads the excavation in the site, told the A.A correspondent that they would gather results of the excavations which have been continued for 20 years and prepare a document on the 20-year excavations in Truva.

"We launched a new project including preparation of Truva archaeological site management plan and modernization of the site. The most important component of the new project is `Truva Museum`. We will focus on the project on establishment of a museum," Pernicka stated.

Pernicka said a team consisting of 50 experts from 10 countries would work in this year`s excavations.

Truva (Troy) is a legendary city and center of the Trojan War, as described in the Epic Cycle, and especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer. Trojan refers to the inhabitants and culture of Troy.

Today it is the name of an archaeological site, the traditional location of Homeric Troy, Turkish Truva, in Hisarlýk in Anatolia, close to the seacoast in what is now Canakkale province in northwest Turkey.

In the 1870s, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann excavated the area. Later excavations revealed several cities built in succession to each other.

In 1988, excavations were resumed by a team of the University of Tubingen and the University of Cincinnati under the direction of Professor Manfred Korfmann. The excavations have been conducted by Pernicka and Associate Professor Rustem Aslan for three years.