Melisa Seren Çelik
21601116
ARCH 411 Conservation of Historical Environments-1
Research Paper (25 %)
A Short Research Paper about a Case Study
(Theme: Urban Layers, Archaeological Sites in Urban Settings)
THE CASE OF ‘TARSUS’
Urban areas, landscapes, buildings are values that come from the past and are composed
of multiple layers. Urban layers are intersection points for the past, the present and the future.
With the composition of these layers, we get a glance of ecological, economic, ecological,
cultural, sociological context of societies and their conditions throughout the history. As these
urban sites are composed of multiple layers developed, they will continue to be developing
further. Each layer indicates what kind of layers could be added in the future.1 With the adage
of new layers; the protection of heritages, their maintenance and conservation become the tool
for a continuous development.2 Having said that, when aiming to protect buildings, the scale of
this target should be larger including urban, spatial, organizational, operational and narrative
qualities of the space as well. If Urban archaeological values gets effectively included in the
planning process, the multi-layered structure of historic urban centers becomes both an
indicator of the historical continuity of cities and strengthens urban awareness.
3
Turkey has
been a location of settlement from the Neolithic and early Chalcolithic Ages to the Islamic
period by many different civilizations, with the benefit of its geographical and strategical
location. With all the continuous settlements in Anatolia, most of the historic cities are multilayered.4 One of these cities, and the context of this paper, is the city of Tarsus.
Tarsus is located near the southern coast of Turkey. It is a rare city with its different
layers and keeping its original name for 2500 years. Tarsus was named as its center when
Cilicia, the area surrounding Tarsus, became a Roman province in 66 B.C. The history of Tarsus
is dating back to thousands of years from our present day. Under the rule of various civilizations
such as the Assyrians, Alexander the Great, Egyptians and Romans, the city had many phases.
The foundations of the city were built at the intersection of important trade routes and it has
continued to exist. The town, starting from the mound known as Gözlükule, first expanded to
the north and then the Berdan River began to develop on the West Bank. Tarsus was a
significant urban center from the Bronze Age to Greco-Roman antiquity, due to its proximity
to the famous Cilician Gates that linked central Anatolia to the Mediterranean coast and
northern Syria, as well as its maritime ties to the eastern Mediterranean via its harbor.5 As well
as being a very important organizational hub in southern Anatolia during the Hellenistic and
Roman times, especially when it was the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia, Tarsus was
also a center of culture and religion. Tarsus city was honored with temples dedicated to the
imperial cult by the Roman emperors, especially Commodus. The temples, bridges, baths and
streets which has developed drainage systems, all of which were constructed both through
imperial and local initiative, are the representation of this significance and the economical
richness of this Roman city.5
BRIEF HISTORY OF TARSUS WITH ITS HERITAGES FROM DIFFERENT ERAS
It is suspected that Tarsus's earliest known inhabitants were the Luwis. The Luwis, who, in two
thousand years BC, established a great empire in Central Anatolia and are believed to have
come from the same lineage as the Hittites, entered the historical scene from 2300 onwards and
established a deep-rooted Luwi-Hittite community in Tarsus.7 The history of Tarsus becomes a
little more enlightened by the middle of 2 thousand B.C. The layers uncovered at 6.5 meters
from the Gözlükule excavations date back to the time of the Kizzuwatna State, founded by
Hurri rulers and a contemporary of the Hittites. Kizzuwatna, though a totally independent
kingdom at first was subsequently forced to acknowledge Hittite rule.8 During the late Hittite
states that arose after the Hittites' collapse, In Chukurov, which was called Kue by the Assyrians
with its many cities and one town, Tarsus existed within the limits of the principality, a
confederation assumed to be. In Tarsus, there were some rebellions against the rule of Assyria.
During that time. Signs of the destructions as a result of these rebellions were also found during
the excavations. In order to resemble the city of Babylon and rebuild the city here the Assyrian
King changed the site of the city of Gözlükule and transferred it to both sides of the Tarsus
River. The foundations of the new city of Tarsus have thus been laid. The rule of Assyria over
Tarsus lasted until the collapse of the Assyrian Kingdom in 612 BC.9 With the conquere of
Persians in 401 B.C Tarsus was the capital of Cilicia at that time, and Çukurova was the most
valued and richest city. After the Persian empire collapsed, during the time Tarsus was ruled
by predecessors, it has been tried to make it a city that bears all the cultural and artistic features
of the Hellenistic era. From the descriptions on the coins found during the excavations, it is
clear that Tarsus was never Hellenized and its eastern side always outweighed.10 The rule of
Salafko in Tarsus has been thoroughly weakened since the second half of the second century
BC. Tarsus will gradually join the Roman administration after this period. It is not clear,
however, exactly when Roman rule started in Tarsus. The metropolis, scientific and cultural
center of the region continues to be Tarsus, which was under the Roman Empire in the first
century BC. This, this, The building, called Donuktas by the people, dates from the time of this
ruler and is the region's largest temple. Moreover, the ruins of the Roman bath, called The
Golden Pass, today are also architectural works from this time to the present day.11 After the
ending of Roman era, Tarsus was conquered by Ottoman empire.
SOME OF THE SIGNIFICANT HERITAGES OF TARSUS THAT REMAIN TODAY
St. Paul Church
St. The Church of St. Paul, twice mentioned in the Bible as Tarsus, was one of the 12 apostles
of Jesus and fought many battles for the sake of spreading Christianity. It is estimated that it
was created in the YY. The Church of St. Paul, one of the oldest Christian churches, includes
works by several painters.
St. Paul Well
For Christians, St. Paul's Well is a significant spiritual hub. It is situated in a courtyard that is
considered the location of Paul's Home, a saint who played a major role in the spread of
Christianity in Western Europe and was named in the Bible as a 'Herald.' It was the stopover
for those who went on long land trips from Europe to Jerusalem to become pilgrims in history,
regarded as the birthplace of Paul and dedicated to St. Paul.
Grand Mosque
Ibrahim Bey, son of Ramazanoğlu Bey Piri Mehmet Pasha, founded the Grand Mosque of
Tarsus in 1579. Until recently, the Great Mosque, named Cami-I Kebir or Cami-i Nur, was the
town's hub. The appearance of a large complex with the mausoleum and the clock tower added
in 1895 is preserved today.
Kırkkaşık Bedesten
Kırkkaşık Bedesten was founded in 1579 in Tarsus by Ibrahim Bey, the son of Piri Pasha of the
Principality of Ramazanoğulları, who had a busy commercial life at all times and was located
right next to the Grand Mosque at the intersection of the roads. While in the early days of its
establishment it was used as an imaretan and madrasa, after the Republic it began to be used as
a Grand Bazaar.
Cleopatra Gate
Cleopatra's Gate, also known as the Sea Gate, is a historic gate situated just at the entrance to
Tarsus. Tarsus, which today is within the Sea, was once a large port city. The famous Queen of
Egypt, Cleopatra, is said to have come from the sea by boat and entered the city via this gate
and met the Roman General Antonius in Tarsus.
Ancient Road
The ancient road is a Roman road which was discovered in the district center of Tarsus during
the building of a parking lot in 1993. The sewage system, which is still in use, is the most
important feature of the 60-meter path, consisting of basalt stones placed by polygonal
technology.
The Ashab-i Kehf
Christians and Muslims consider the cave of Eshab-ı Kehf a holy place of visitation. An
significant part of Tarsus' faith is the Eshab-ı Kehf cave in Tarsus, the most important center of
the Seven Sleepers' belief in Anatolia in many parts of the world.
TARSUS AND ITS REMAINING LAYERS TODAY
Tarsus, with its multi-cultured amazing past, is a great example of urban layers.
Throughout the history and until our day, it has had uncountable different layers, all giving the
city its character. It has been the center of many different cultures, religions. Since then, most
of the historic city centre have been permanently occupied, from the early ages and occupation
still exists. In the center of the Tarsus city, there are a few visible archaeological outcomes such
as the ones the given above; the Cleopatra Gate, the last remaining from the walls of the city;
the well of St. Paul whose water is said to be healing; the portion of the Roman Bath near the
Old Mosque, which is said to be an ancient Armenian church; and the columned Roman church.
In addition, the Mound of Gözlükule conceals all the historical periods of the city and it is fitting
to place the Roman theatre on the northeastern part of the mountain.6 For Muslims and
Christians alike, Tarsus is a sacred town. For Muslims, there are many heavenly memorials,
such as the tomb of the Prophet Daniel in the Mosque of Makam. Christians visit the site of the
Well of Saint Paul with the purpose of pilgrimage. There is still not much of an appropriate
study showing Tarsus' urban growth history. However, within the light of the current
archaeological evidence and the routes of the monuments of the Islamic Period, it can be said
that the city plan of ancient Tarsus was built as a grid. A damaged version of the original grid
may be the present day road layout of the historic town still.6 After the Republic Era, in the
1950s, Tarsus began to accept immigrants from different areas as a result of the instant growth
of the industrial sector in the Mersin-Adana district, causing difficulties in preserving its historic
tissue. The city is at the very beginning of its historical understanding, while it has rich urban
layers, and in its town center it experiences field archaeology rather than urban archaeological
practice. Although this is Turkey's general condition about archeology, there is still no
completed inventory for Tarsus. This results in inadequate or deceptive strategies for
conservation. In deficient projects, Roman Bath being an example, other archaeological
investigations in Tarsus also continue. Formerly the remaining portion of the Roman Bath was
used as kiosk walls or small shops that did not value the protection of the architectural remains.
There were many excavations ruining the pieces from Roman Bath. Although Tarsus museum
started new conservational excavations to find the of the ruins, the whole process of
conservation were undertaken. If urban archaeological resources are handled effectively in the
planning process, the multi-layered structure of historical centers can both indicate the historical
continuity of cities and enhance urban consciousness. Recent policies and strategies, however
do not allow for the planning and decision-making process to deal with urban archaeological
resources particularly invisible sub-soil resources. Just as we have seen in the lecture given by
Elif Koparal, many archeological works are not able to process due to weak relationship of
archeology and the government. We have great values in Turkey, Tarsus being one of them.
The methods of collecting, analyzing, and evaluating archaeological and historical data for
preparing maps are necessary for proper conserving of great values and heritages. As a
consequence, what needs to be done is not to forget the known and above-ground archaeological
evidence, as well as the potential that exists under the soil, in the process of planning multi-
layered cities such as Tarsus. This does not mean that human life on earth is not being ignored
today. However in addition to the finds, archaeological traces-memories can be traced in the
fabric of the street and/or in open public spaces to establish more planning strategies on the
multi-layered nature of cities, which will enable urbanites to better perceive the potential that
exists under their feet and own the city.
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