Istanbul comes forefront with latest excavations, says official
ISTANBUL
Istanbul covers an important place in world archaeology due to the latest discoveries made in the excavations in the city’s Haydarpaşa, a historic train station on the Asian side, the head of the Istanbul Archaeology Museum has said.
The excavations, which have been ongoing for four years on an area of nearly 80,000 square meters where the rails start from the historical station in the Khalkedon region, the ancient name of Kadıköy, which means “land of the blind,” have brought important cultural assets to Istanbul and raised the cultural heritage level of the city.
“This region has been an important center of the city for centuries with its function as a necropolis in the ancient period, a port after the Roman period, and a train station in the late Ottoman and republican periods,” Rahmi Asal said.
With the discoveries in the archaeological excavations in this region, Istanbul has taken a very important place in the global culture and archeology community, Asal added.
Stating that the most important of the remains found so far is a burial monument from the late Hellenistic period, which is a first for Istanbul, Aral said that a total of 18,000 gold, silver and bronze coins were unearthed during the studies.
“In the east of the area, we found the apse and floor remains of the church bearing the name of St. Bassa, one of the important figures for the Khalkedon, and thousands of bone fragments were obtained in the mass grave in this area,” Aral said, adding that these people were most likely important people for the church or city.
Another important remnant at the site was an early Byzantine mining workshop dated 4-7th centuries AD, according to Aral. “The furnaces and crucibles that the metal smelting process is carried out let us define it.”
“It is very important that such a valuable structure continues to function today,” Aral said, noting that the area is planned to be an archaeopark, including museums.
