Under the mosques, walls and houses of the ancient city of Istanbul lies a network of water tanks, corridors, and secret corridors, about which many legends, films and literary works are narrated.
In this report, published by the US National Public Radio (NPR) website, Dore Buskern spoke about the hidden Byzantine vaults discovered under the neighborhoods of the ancient city of Istanbul, which she was able to see during a tour led by Turkish archaeologist Ferodun Ozgumus.
Underground
Beneath a carpet shop, a Turkish archaeologist showed her a cave-like structure they descended with a crumbling wooden ladder. "You can imagine how excited I was when I first saw this place, it was full of debris, and we had to crawl to get in," he said.
Over the course of more than 20 years, Ozgumus knocked on doors in the properties of one of Istanbul's oldest neighborhoods and asked to take a look at the cellars. At the age of 64, the professor at Istanbul University was among the first archaeologists in Turkey to dedicate their research to the study of the spaces beneath the city. He was able to identify The site of more than 300 vaults and he knows there are more, yet to be discovered.
The reporter said that as soon as you set foot in the aisle leading to the basement under the carpet store, the temperatures dropped, arches of at least 20 feet high were evenly distributed throughout the structure, and water droplets trickled through the ceiling, and upon closer look you saw circles of thin bricks that resembled Its color is alternating rust with thick layers of mortar.
Ozgumus explained that the thickness of the bricks and the layer of mortar between the bricks, as well as the color, all indicate the date of the construction of the structure, pointing to an arch of trimmed bricks that confirmed that it dates back to the second century AD.
Ozgumus believes that this particular site may be linked to a sprawling palace built by Constantine the Great, the fourth Roman king and founder of ancient Constantinople, but it is difficult to say for sure.
Many landmarks dating back to the Byzantine era and mentioned in archival documents have been lost throughout history, such as the reception hall in the famous Constantine Palace, which no one has found until now.
Ozgumus said they have many literary sources dating back to the late Roman period, but archaeological data do not match them.
The theory of Özgümüş's work, based on the characteristics of the bricks and the location of the shop, suggests that this structure may have been a vault used for storage under what was supposed to be the palace's reception hall, but this idea can only be confirmed by further excavations.
Another world, another city
Throughout Istanbul, there is evidence of the lifestyle, activity and architecture of the inhabitants of the Byzantine capital.
The city has been identified with its surroundings, so that the ruins of an ancient Roman bath have become a heating room for a modern office building, and a sixth-century ground water tank with white pillars has been turned into a jewelry store, whose owner says that the ventilation is not good, but it remains warm in winter and cool in summer. The structure of a small church lies under a vault belonging to a hookah cafe.
After Ozgumus completed a 13-year archaeological study in 2010 of the historic Istanbul peninsula (the ancient quarters within the wall that were known as Constantinople), younger researchers continued to weave in his footsteps, adding hundreds of sites to the public record.
These sites form the basis of a small but growing network of underground archaeological sites, where visitors are taken on tours through narrow lanes to see ancient brickwork, water cisterns and frescos from long-forgotten churches.
According to a writer and tour operator, Yasin Karabacak, who shares what he finds on social media under the name “The Hidden Face of Istanbul,” “Access to the underground structures is not easy because they are private property.” He adds that anyone can visit the Hagia Sophia, but when it opens Baba leads down, you feel special, as if it's only available to you. It's like another world or another city."
Unexplained tunnels
Many legends surround the underworld of Istanbul, which is said to be filled with secret tunnels.
It is believed that a Byzantine emperor had secret tunnels connecting his palace, Hagia Sophia, and the Hippodrome, which was the Byzantine Hippodrome (and now Sultanahmet Square and Square) so that he and his entourage could appear in places without having to wander the streets.
Many antiquities were lost when Constantinople was looted during the Fourth Crusade that destroyed many Byzantine monuments in 1204, so it is logical that the church's priests hid Christian artifacts in these secret tunnels, if they actually existed, but they were never found.
Karabacak says that some of the tunnels, such as those designated for cleaning workers in the water channels built in the Ottoman era, were for ordinary purposes, which means that not all of the tunnels are secret or have secret functions, but rather their basic functions such as cleaning and maintenance.
These Byzantine vaults have survived in Istanbul thanks to the Cultural Heritage Law of the 1980s, which allows people to keep antiquities they find on their property without worrying about them being confiscated by the authorities.
The Roman ruins attracted tourists and represented a blessing for many, while it was a source of concern for others who still fear losing their possessions, delaying restoration work or stopping construction because of these archaeological sites, so they choose to keep them secret.
Earthquake Resistant Water Storage System
During the Byzantine era, a water storage system was built consisting of underground tanks for water that was transported through arched channels and vaults under public buildings and provided temperature-controlled storage areas.
Architectural historian and engineer Karim Altug explained that the water tanks were built in a way that helps the city's water supply to withstand earthquakes. Altug drew a map of the locations of 158 water tanks from the Byzantine era, and it is believed that there were thousands of them in ancient Constantinople.
According to historian Arzu Ulas, it was logical during the Ottoman era to build on these ruins and reuse the Byzantine structures instead of demolishing them and starting from scratch.
The Ottomans extended and improved the water system in Constantinople, sometimes turning water tanks into workshops to spin silk or store crops.
Later, some of the sub-structures that needed to be restored collapsed or were used for illegal activities such as smuggling.
Ulas stated that she found under some mosques corridors filled with water and animal bones.
Not everything should be excavated
In the Fatih district of Istanbul, there is a balcony behind a leather wholesaler's shop overlooking stone arches that Ozgumus believes were built as part of a storage cellar under a palatial house in the Forum of Theodosius, the main square of Constantinople, which is now located in the Lalali district.
Ozgumus also believes that the 6th century structure is based on capitals dating back to the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian.
These arches have survived centuries of earthquakes, fires and rapid urban development, and to this day still support the weight of what was built on top of them, but this site has suffered from external interferences that distorted it.
For this reason, Ozgumus believes that it is not necessary to excavate everything below the neighborhoods of Istanbul because many archaeological excavations were neglected after the completion of work on them to be left in the face of urban development work, and he believes that if there is not sufficient funding and there is no plan to preserve the archaeological site, it Best kept underground.