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Underwater excavations at the basilica, known as the 100-year discovery in Bursa’s Iznik district, shed light on the 2,000-year history. The archaeological excavations carried out in the basilica, 20 meters from the coast and 5 meters deep, which were sighted by chance from the air after the withdrawal of the water 6 years ago, are continuing in detail. The structure, consisting of the temple of Apollo, the senate palace, and the church built in the name of Neophytos, which was unearthed through excavations, was seen from the sky and under water. The artifacts unearthed by archaeologists working underwater from inside the basilica draw attention. Local administrations took steps to make the region the second Göbeklitepe.
Underwater excavations into the historic structure, which were noticed in Lake Iznik thanks to photographs taken from the air in 2014 and which was discovered to be a 2,000-year-old basilica as a result of further investigation, are carried out with great care. . The UAV team reached the last images of the work carried out with a team of underwater archaeologists of 15 people. The experts who emphasize that there may be a 3-stage order in the basilica in the studies carried out so far, emphasize that the senate where the first consul of the Christians was held could have been held here.
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Head Professor of the Department of Archeology at Uludag University, who was the consultant for the excavation of the basilica carried out by the Iznik Museum Directorate with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Dr. Mustafa Şahin said: “According to the data we have obtained, here is a complex of buildings from the 2nd century after the prophet Jesus. But the most important part is the basilical structure built at the end of the 4th century after Christ. Based on the data we obtained during our excavations in 2016, we can easily tell. “The building, which was discovered in 2014 and has come down to us with its architecture and basic remains, was first built in 390 after the prophet Jesus, and this is the structure that has survived until today, but we see that there were other phases before “.
Noting that the most important water in Turkey contained in the six-excavation basilica in Falcon Lake in Iznik, “so far excavated in different areas of the building was done in Turkey in work done underwater. Other than that, there is no excavation for architecture. I especially want to work here with our graduate and doctoral students on excavations. The reason for this is to train experts who can conduct research in our inland waters in the future and establish an underwater research center in inland waters. Therefore, the water contributes to expand to include the lakes and rivers of Turkey to six archeology, ”he said.
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“USED AS A PUBLIC STRUCTURE”
Stating that when the Basilica is mentioned, the main floor system of the church buildings generally comes to mind during the Christian period, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Şahin said: “During the period of the Roman Empire, the basilica was used as a public building. The court appears in various functions, such as galleries where exhibitions are held. You may wonder why it is a type of public structure, why it became a religious structure. It is possible to explain the reason as follows: When Christianity is accepted as the official religion. “Those who believe in Christianity must develop such an architecture that is different from the temple architecture of the earlier pagan faith. They do it with the idea that it does not remind them of their temples. It consists of 3 naphtha or 3 aisles in design. The direction should extend east-west. “
“THE FIRST CONSULA CAN MEET HERE”
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Emphasizing that investigations are underway to determine who belongs to the religious building within the basilica, Şahin said: “The church built in the 4th century on behalf of Saint Neophyte, who was assassinated at the age of 15, must be the building that we excavate. Iznik is a very important center for Christians. The most important reason for this is that the 1st and 7th consuls met here. The location of the first tip is unknown. The Senate Palace is mentioned, but as far as is known, no emperor has lived here. Therefore, it is very difficult to have a palace structure in Iznik. In the work we have done on the subject, the 1st Consul is represented in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican. So there are drawings about consuls. The meeting place in these pictures on the walls is a place outside the walls, by the lake. The meeting may have been held here in a room, given the location of the underwater structure. We are trying to find an answer to this question. “If we can find the structure where that consul met, we will offer Iznik a very important opportunity in terms of religious tourism.”
“BASILIZATION IS A 3-STAGE ORDER”
Şahin continued his words as follows:
“There may be a three-phase design here. At the bottom is the Temple of Apollo, next to it is the Neophytos martirium (martyrdom) and the Basilica Church of Neophytos at the end. In 394, with the decree of the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosyus, Christianity became the official religion, while the use of all structures of pagan religion was forbidden. The ruins that we find under the lake also show that the building was built after 390. In the last phase, there is a church structure. Iznik is the gateway of the Byzantine Empire to the east. The Istanbul soldiers left the port of Iznik and disembarked. When we started researching here, some notifications started coming in. We evaluated them and found that there were remains of buildings at various points in a similar fashion. Since there is no excavation, we don’t know exactly what happened. To prevent such areas from being damaged, we made the necessary application to the Bursa Cultural Heritage Preservation Board together with the Iznik Museum Directorate. “
WALKING ON THE ROAD TO BE GÖBEKLİTEPE
On Thursday, İznik Mayor Kağan Mehmet Usta, Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, Abdülkerim Baştürk, İznik Museum Director, Archaeologist Ahmet Türkmenoğlu, Prof. Dr. Murat Taş, Scientific Advisor to Iznik excavations Prof. Dr. Mustafa Şahin, Bursa Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism, Kamil Özer, and representatives of the Department of Innovation and Smart Urban Planning of the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, the Tourism and Promotion Branch, the Directorate of the Historical and Cultural Heritage Branch, the Directorate of the R&D Branch and the representatives of the Union of Culture, Tourism and Promotion of Bursa met on the agenda of the Basilica. . In the meeting with wide participation, it was debated how the Basilica, which is described as the “discovery of 100 years” by world public opinion, can be opened to visitors. Although the Basilica, where excavations continue, is not open to visitors, it is one of the areas that the world follows with curiosity in terms of tourism.
The meeting reached consensus that the Lake Iznik Basilica, which is described as the 100-year discovery, can be opened to visitors with a similar approach to that applied in Göbeklitepe, with a floating dock that will not harm history and nature, and supporting advertising spaces, and since it remains within the jurisdiction of different institutions. and under the leadership of the Metropolitan Municipality of Bursa it was decided to start the process to be carried out to obtain the necessary permits from the relevant institutions. When the works reach a certain point, they will be presented to Bursa Metropolitan Mayor Alinur Aktaş, and details on the subject will be shared with the public.
THE EYE OF THE WORLD WILL BE ON IZNIK
Stating that the opening of the basilica in Iznik, which is a very important region with its walls, gates, museums and historical places, will attract the attention of the whole world, Iznik Mayor Kağan Mehmet Usta said: “The basilica Iznik submarine is one of the 10 most important archaeological discoveries in the world. Excavations are currently underway. We are working with the Metropolitan Municipality to open this great work to the public. I believe that it will open in June 2021 within the scope of the project that will be presented to the Ministry. Good luck, ”he said.
