Excavation works continue at full speed at historic Harput Castle

ELAZIĞ

Excavations and restoration work at Harput Castle, located in the eastern province of Elazığ, have gained momentum with the inclusion of the site in the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s “Legacy for the Future” project, ensuring year-round archaeological excavations at the historic castle.

Significant findings have been uncovered at the site of the castle, dating back to the mid-3000 B.C., over the years. These findings include a 2,800-year-old water cistern from the Urartu period, an open-air temple site and a palace kitchen believed to be about 1,000 years old, highlighting the rich cultural history of the region.

The site also revealed the remains of what is referred to as the "industrial site" of its time, which were widely used back in the Middle Ages, and furnaces, iron ingots and various other artifacts such as keys, scissors, spoons, spearheads and horseshoes.

Showing remnants of several civilizations, Harput Castle draws attention for its glamorous natural setting and vantage point that allows visitors to gaze down over the city from above, embarking visitors on a historical tour.

Initial excavations at the historic castle were carried out between 2004 and 2009, and they restarted in 2014, continuing uninterrupted until this day since then, according to Professor Dr. İsmail Aytaç, the head of the excavation.

The 1000-year-old industrial site was the focus of this season's work at the castle, Aytaç noted. He explained that they carried out conservation works on the new workshops there and placed a temporary roof over the area, with work on one workshop reaching a conclusion and opening to the public.

A freshwater cistern in the area also became a tourist attraction following the completion of the works covering its surrounding area.

"The Culture and Tourism ministry will complete the restoration of the artifacts, boosting tourism even more,” Aytaç noted.

He mentioned that throughout this restoration process, they also welcomed a number of travel agency representatives from foreign countries, signifying already a surge in interest in the area.

Noting that Harput is increasingly becoming a valuable cultural and historical asset for tourism as a result, Aytaç further emphasized the support of the ministry and Fırat University in the process. “Our ministry offers several forms of assistance. Among many other services, Fırat University offers assistance with technical staff, meals and personnel offices.”

Aytaç highlighted that through such diligent efforts, they reached a crucial point in terms of restoration and renovation works, noting that efforts have now switched to turning the area into a significant tourism attraction.

Eyes on UNESCO World Heritage List

Efforts are also underway to have Harput, the site of the castle, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List for the next year, and the work carried out thus far this year significantly contributes to this objective, according to Aytaç.

He explained that the field studies will be completed by the end of the year at the historic castle, and they will mark their 12th season in 2025. "We begin our fieldwork in the spring and continue it until the end of December. We restore and analyze the archaeological and cultural assets that have been unearthed from this location over the remaining winter months.”

They got to over 130,000 historical objects at the Harput Castle with the conclusion of the 11th season, Aytaç noted, underlining that they sent the eligible ones to the Elazığ Museum. Out of these objects, the amorphous (without a particular shape) ones are stored in the castle, while the research of the study works is still ongoing, according to Aytaç.

Aytaç added that collaborations with various institutions are ongoing within this context and added: “We will prepare the replicas of qualifying cultural assets as part of a project and share them with the public for tourist purposes and display them in the castle, while hand over the originals to the museum.”