Why was Troy put on the World Heritage List by UNESCO?

After Troy and its surrounding area became the Troy Historic National Park in 1996, the national and international interest in and support for Troy considerably increased. As a result of this, with help from the Troy Excavation Team and by means of the efforts made by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Troy was put on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. Troy is the ninth and last place in Turkey to be put on this list. UNESCO World Heritage Committee indicated that Troy was put on this list due to its following characteristics:
- This is the place where the Trojan War took place, as recounted by Homer in the Iliad.
- Homer the bard has a unique place in world cultural heritage due to reproduction of the Iliad for thousands of years. Troy, which is the source of this cultural legacy, still inflluences our world.
- There are settlements and remnants about the Troyan history and legends (tumulus dedicated to war heroes such as Patroclus, Achilleus, Ajax, etc.) in the historical site and these are being protected by the fact that Troy was declared to be a Historic National Park in 1996.
- Because this place is where the first prehistorical findings were unearthed, it is the birthplace of the science of archeology.