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CITIES
& TOWNS |
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Even though the Byzantines
were almost a city-state in the last period of their Empire, many traces
of the early period Byzantine Empire can be found in Anatolia. One of
these is the palace found along the Izmir-Kemalpasa road. This multi-storied
structure resembles the Tekfur Palace. In terms of their style
of decoration, the home and chapel of the Mother Mary and other churches
found in this region are almost small copies of the churches of Istanbul.
The Church of the Mother Mary in Bulbuldagi, near Izmir, is also important
as a pilgrimage site. It is widely believed that Mary spent her last
years in this city and that she died in this mountain cottage. Many
Christians make the pilgrimage to this site every year. Remains of certain
Byzantine castles can be spotted in various areas of Thrace. The ones
still considered intact are those at Silivri, Enez, Vize, and Kiyikoy.
Another Byzantine ruin in Vize is the Vize Church. This structure was
later converted to a mosque and, while its name was changed to the Suleyman
Pasa Camii, it is still remembered as the Hagia Sophia. Today only a
small section of the castle built by the Emperor Hadrian in Edirne is
still standing, although most of the building was still intact during
the past century. Another Byzantine masterpiece of Edirne is the clover-shaped
Church of the Hagia Sophia. Unfortunately, the only remains we have
of that structure is a faded photograph. Only the ruins of the Enez
Cathedral remain to be seen in Enez. Built in the shape of the Greek
cross, the western side of this structure is longer than the other sides,
giving the building a Basilica-like appearance. Another ruin is the
church dating from 1345 in Silivri. This church was built by Alexios
Apokaukos who was later lynched. The ancient city of Midye (Kiyikoy)
crossing the Sakarya River, according to history was built on a clifftop
of the Black Sea. Here today are the ruins of a monastery, church, and
sacred fountain. The church is a very important and unique structure
in that it was built within the hollowedout cliff, and has, itself,
a cliff-like appearance. The Byzantines constructed a number of buildings
and towers in the area of the Izmit Bay which were used for military
purposes. The Eskisehir Tower in Gebze is probably in the best condition
today. This tower was built on a site allowing it to control both the
road and the sea. According to some researchers, this tower is where
Mikhael Palaiologos VIII was imprisoned by the Niceaen Prince Ionnes
Lakaris IV after the prince blinded him and stripped him of the throne.
The Coban Tower overlooking a hill on the Yalova-Niceae Road is also
a Byzantine remnant. Another example of Byzantine architecture is the
Dark Church near Yalova. One of the other very important architectural
works of this period is the bridge crossing the Sakarya River. According
to the writer Prakopios, "The Justinian Bridge was built over the Sakarya
River by the Emperor Justinian and through the power of Divine Intercedence."
This twelve-arched bridge is 430 meters long. Other important Byzantine
remains can be found in the city of Nicaea (Iznik). During the thirteen-century
crusade, a period in which the Empire was in the process of disintegration,
Nicaea became the capitol of a Byzantine Principality and it was surrounded
by Roman walls. One side of these walls faced the land, while the others
rested against the cliffs. The rooms within some of the large towns
of the walls were decorated with fresco painted by artists of that period.
The Hagia Sophia Basilica stands in the middle of the city. This structure
was badly damaged in the eleventh century by an earthquake and was then
restored. The floors of this cathedral are covered with very fine mosaics.
The other church in Nicaea is the Koimesis Church. This church was damaged
during the last days of the War of Independence in a battle between
the Turks and the Greeks. Only photographs remain of the former mosaics.
There are enough remains, however, to understand the basic plan of the
church. One of the Byzantine remains in the Aegean area is the Sardes
Basilica. Ephesus was also an important center for the Byzantines. The
Mother Mary replaced the goddess Artemis as a figure of supplication.
The Basilica of the Mother Mary was built over an ancient structure
in the year 431 AD. During the 7th century AD, certain hermits traveled
from the Sinai and built chapels along the shores of the Bafa Lake and
on its tiny islands. A tiny chapel remains on Kahve Asar island. This
chapel was built according to the plan of the Greek cross and its eastern
side is decorated with bricks. Monasteries are found in the Ikiz and
Kapikiri Islands. There are also remnants of the Styles and Yediler
monasteries in the nearby mountains. It is believed that St.Paul lived
here. In Byzantine sources it writes that the monastery at Yediler is
the Kellibaron Monastery.
Ankara's symbol,
its tower, is a structure built by the Byzantines in the ninth century.
Also to be found in Ankara is the church that was constructed out of
the remains of the Temple of Augustus. It is also believed that the
Afyon Tower was constructed on the rocks in a remnant of the Byzantine
period. In Cappadocia there are many rock-hewn chapels, churches, and
hermit's retreats dating from the earliest period of Christianity and,
then, also used by the Byzantines. Most of these structures have frescoes
in them. Some of these depict Saint Helen, Constantine, and Saint George.
The church of the monastery in Eskigumus has been decorated with great
attention to detail. Numerous wall paintings can be seen in the Ihlara
Valley. One of the very unique characteristics of this region is the
underground cities. One of these underground cities is at the town of
Derinkuyu. The city was built by hollowing out floors upon floors of
stone and quite surprising techniques were used to provide fresh air
and a system of locks. Another underground city is Godet which is in
the Yarimkale-Karaman region near Kirsehir. Trabzon is another important
Byzantine center in Anatolia. Trabzon utilized unique regional building
techniques. Today, however, only one wall with two windows remains of
the Commenos Palace. The religious buildings of this area have been
better preserved. One of these is the Church of St. Anne which carries
an inscription stating that the church was repaired by the emperor Basileos
I in 885. The building today, which is known as the Ortahisar Mosque,
was the church of St. Eugene in the Byzantine period. The Hagia Sophia
church was built outside the city proper in the thirteen century. The
bell tower of the church has been very well preserved. The interior
of this bell tower is decorated with frescoes dating from the fifteenth
century. Two of the most important remains from the Byzantine period
are the Kizlar Monastery built in the hills above Trabzon and the Boztepe
hermit caves which were hollowed out of the rocks. The most important
of all of the Byzantine ruins of this region, however, is the Sumela
Monastery. First the cliffs of the mountain were hollowed out to be
used as a church and then this complex was developed into a monastery.
This construction took place in the fourteenth century during the Commenos
period.
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