TOURMAG / Sonbahar 2021

Archaology
History being rewritten
at train station in Istanbul
CENAY TOPRAKKAYA
History is being rewritten with archaeological
excavations at Haydarpasa Train Station in
Istanbul’s Kadikoy district, which was known
as Chalcedon (the Land of the Blind) in ancient
times. The excavations, which have been
continuing for nearly three years, shed light
on the history of Kadikoy from the 5th century
BC to the early era of the Turkish Republic.
During the excavations carried out jointly by
the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the
Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure on
300 decares of land just behind Haydarpasa
Train Station, remains from the Classical,
Hellenistic, Byzantine, Roman, Ottoman and
Republican periods were unearthed. Speaking
to TOURMAG Tourism Magazine, Rahmi Asal,
Director of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum,
said they meticulously carried out the
work in the area behind the train station with
a large team. “The area we work in is in the
Rahmi Asal
western port of Chalcedon, the ancient name
of today's Kadikoy. Of course, very important
remains and finds were unearthed. One of
them is a private residence with opus sectile
flooring. It's something we evaluate together
with its bath dated 5th century A.D”, he said.
INCREDIBLE FIGURE ESPECIALLY
FOR ISTANBUL
A 5th century church built in the name of
Saint Bassa was also discovered, signified
Asal, adding the skeletons of 28 people from
that era were also unearthed: “Approximately
12,000 gold, silver and bronze coins were
recovered, which is an incredible figure especially
for Istanbul. The most important one
is a coin that dates back to the 5th century
B.C., which is thought to be one of the first
coins of Kadikoy. The coin had been found
before in other places, but it is the first time
we’ve seen it in this area.”
ONE OF THE MOST SYMBOLIC WORKS
Asaltold that Haydarpasa Station is one
of the most symbolic works of art of the
city, and archaeologists, art historians and
citizens should prioritize protecting it: “The
station should continue to function. We
must integrate our archaeological remains
into it. This is how we can make the most
out of it.”
EXCAVATIONS CONTINUE WITH
15 TO 20 ARCHAEOLOGISTS
He said the excavations have reached a
certain stage, and now they need to start
working on the preservation of the remains
together with the excavations in the area.The
number of workers at the site decreased due
to the coronavirus pandemic, but has now
reached 400 people, explained Asal, adding
they continue to work with 15 to 20 archaeologists.
Ekim / Kasım / Aralık | 2021
October / November / December
9