Anatolian Civilizations and Historical Sites - TEDA

ANATOLIAN CIVILIZATIONS:10x19 antik kentler 8/1/11 10:52 AM Sayfa
church, and the Temple of Aphrodite was used as a church. Basilicas
are also encountered in Hierapolis-known as Pamukkale today-and
in Xanthos which is within the borders of Antalya. The Alahan
Monastery near Mut, which is very impressive with its architecture
and decorations, is a Byzantine structure. Again, in Konya-Karaman,
in the region known as the 1001 churches, in different parts and the
summit of Karada¤ are structures from the Byzantine Period. Even
after Christianity, the Anatolian people retained some of the
architectural knowledge which they had known since the old times,
for which reason the structures in this region are different from the
structures which are familiar to us.
Many Byzantine works of art exist in the vicinity of Silifke and Adana
and especially on the Taurus Mountains. In this region, where
transportation is hard and settlement scarce, the structures survived
to the present time in quite good condition. The church in Demre
where Saint Nicholas worked, which was built in his name, is visited
as a museum today.
Byzantine structures are encountered in almost all of the antique
cities of Anatolia. Anemourion near Anamur, Korykos near K›z Kalesi
and Kanytelis known as Kanl›divane are places which retained their
importance during the Byzantine Period and which still has Byzantine
structures. The relics of the monastery which is located on a
mountain that is 18 km. from Antakya and which was built in the
name of Saint Simeon can still be seen today.
Cappadocia is one of the places in Anatolia where Byzantine art is most
commonly seen. In the valleys of So¤anl›dere, Göreme, Güzelyurt,
Ihlara, Zelve and Güzelgöz in the region, churches and monasteries
were carved from rocks and were decorated with examples of
Byzantine painting art. Icons having religious pictures on gold-plated
panels are among the important artistic works of Byzantine art.
The most spectacular works of art were created in Constantinopolis,
which was not only the capital of the political desires of Byzantium
but also of its art. Land ramparts made up of two walls are the best
example of the Byzantine defense architecture, whereas the Basilica
Cistern (Yerebatan), the Philoxenus Cistern (Binbirdirek) and
Sultan’s Cistern are the best examples of the water architecture. The
floor mosaics of the Great Palace (Büyük Saray), which evidently
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