Ardanuç-Gevhernik Kalesi Kazı Çalışmaları

Abstract

Ardanuç, one of the districts of Artvin province and located at the easternmost edge of the Eastern Black Sea Region, was conquered in 1551, during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, and joined the Ottoman lands. Until 1878, many Turkish- Islamic works were built and put into service of the society in today’s Adakale campus under Ottoman rule. The first mosque structure all across the province of Artvin was built in 1553 by Erzurum Governor Çerkez İskender Pasha, who conquered Ardanuç Castle and as it can be understood from the foundation certificate-charter dated 1565, continuation of the service was provided by donating commercial buildings, such as dye-house and arasta (shops), for the execution of mosque services. In 2012, Adakale was registered as an urban archaeological site, and Gevhernik Castle (İçkale) was registered as a first degree archaeological site. The inner castle attracts attentions with the remains of buildings such as medieval walls and churches, in Adakale; mosques, graveyards, madrasahs, tombs, baths, fountains, mansions and many civil architectural works have survived to the present day. Having adopted the conservation plan including Adakale and the Gevhernik Castle in 2023, it has been documented as having a distinct historical significance. ”Ardanuç-Gevhernik Castle Archaeological Excavations”, initiated by the scientific team headed by Dr. Lecturer Osman Aytekin on behalf of Van Yuzuncu Yil University and with the permission and support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2021, continues without interruption and is planned to continue for many years. In the 2021 excavation season, the interior and exterior excavations of the tombs located in the graveyard of the İskender Pasha Mosque were carried out, and important scientific data was obtained about for whom the tombs were built. It is understood that all three tombs belong to Meskhetian pashas and their family members in the 17th century. Since there are no inscriptions belonging to the graves in the burial ground, a definite definition could not be made. As for 2022, the city church, located at the lowest part of the Adakale, was studied. It has become clear that the church building, which has survived only at its foundation level, was probably built in the 9th century during the time of the Bagratlı Christian administration, which was dominant in the region. Contrary to what is said, the vaulted space in the southeast corner of the church, below the floor level, was found to be a cistern rather than a tomb structure. Apart from these, cleaning works have also been started in the city bath and fountain, which are now privately owned. Adakale; with restorations of immovable cultural assets after archaeological excavations, Artvin is expected to be one of the most important cultural and tourism areas. For more detailed information, please refer to the Extended Abstract at the end of the text