Due to its low rainfall and limited potential for water retention, northern Syria has always had ... more Due to its low rainfall and limited potential for water retention, northern Syria has always had access to and control of water as one of the main features of states in the region aiming to main-tain their rule. This article introduces new information about the Mamluk period water adduction system of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, which brought water to the Quwayq River, the city’s most important source of water. A newly documented part of the system, known in the Gaziantep region of Türkiye as the “Halep Arkı” (the Aleppo channel), is discussed along with Mamluk-era inscriptions associated with it. During archaeological survey conducted between 2016 and 2018 in the Oğuzeli region of Türkiye’s Gaziantep province, an open-air channel connected to a qanat-like tunnel with vertical shafts was documented, in addition to two inscriptions carved into the bedrock where the open-air channel met the tunnel. These inscriptions, which have been dam-aged over the centuries, were documented using RTI (Reflectance Transformation Imaging) tech-nology, which allowed portions of one of them to be read. The survey showed that this Mamluk era water system was also used and expanded in the Ottoman period beginning with the conquest of the region in the 16th century. Spoil heaps show that the system was cleaned, likely during the Ottoman era. The closing of gaps in the bedrock that came about due to earthquakes or other reasons with stone walling may also have taken place in the Ottoman period. Also, in the Ottoman period, water from other springs was added to the system and various regulations on the use of water introduced. In this article, based on topographic and hydrological study of the region, we offer suggestions of the sources of the spring water that were joined to this system
STONE QUARRIES, SCULPTURE WORKSHOPS AND THE PLACE OF YESEMEK IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST Yesemek Proceedings of the 1st and 2nd International Archaeology Symposiums, 2022
Oğuzeli Region, where the mountainous structure of Anatolia evolves towards the steppes of Northe... more Oğuzeli Region, where the mountainous structure of Anatolia evolves towards the steppes of Northern Syria, has been a region of interest for the settlement of human communities throughout history with its geo- political importance. Rocky areas were especially preferred for human settlements in the effective use of fertile agricultural areas, which are limited in the geological structure predominantly shaped by Sacır Suyu at the same time, it is observed that these areas have started to be used intensively as a raw material source in the process. In the light of the Oğuzeli Archaeological Surveys carried out with the support of the Turkish Historical Society and Gaziantep University between 2016-2018, how the rocky areas are evaluated as spatial and raw material resources and their effects on the shaping of rural settlements will be discussed.
Archaeology of Gaziantep from Prehistoric Times to the Late Antiquity, 2022
Archaeological Research on Doğanpınar Dam T he substantial economic resources allocated for dam p... more Archaeological Research on Doğanpınar Dam T he substantial economic resources allocated for dam projects in Gaziantep Province have significantly contributed to increasing the general public's awareness of cultural heritage while also bringing to light cultural assets, and thus creating economic value. In the framework of the Birecik and Karkamış Dam projects on the Euphrates River, and the Tahtaköprü Dam project on the Karasu River, many rescue excavations were carried out on various ancient sites, such as Zeugma, Şaraga Höyük, Horum Höyük, Yarım Höyük, Birecik Dam Necropolis, Taşlıgeçit Höyük, and Hamamlar Höyük. Built on the Sacır Stream, Doğanpınar Dam is the most recent dam project completed in Gaziantep Province; during the completion of this project, archaeological research was carried out on the protection sites of Yenice Höyük, Parcels 186/187, Tilbaşar, and Dede Harabeleri. Originally planned in the 1970s as part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) and included in the national investment plans of the 1990s, concrete steps for the Doğanpınar Dam were taken only in 2010. Rescue excavations of archaeological sites threatened by the dam became part of the agenda in 2011 (Fig. 1). Prior to the construction of the dam, Yenice Höyük, Parcels 186/187 (YNC3), Akça/Ağça Höyük and Tilbaşar were the only archaeological sites known in the reservoir area. In order to protect Tilbaşar and Akça Höyük, the latter prone to damage caused by water erosion, a proposal was made before the construction to lower the dam's maximum water retention level of 601 meters. Unfortunately, this proposal was rejected for economic and technical reasons. When the Archaeology Department of Gaziantep University became involved in the research work, Dr. Rifat Ergeç, a former member of our department who also acted as the Director of the Gaziantep Museum between 1989 and 1999, 2 armed with a long experience of bureaucratic processes and field studies he gained during the rescue excavations carried out in Birecik and Karkamış Dams, made attempts to initiate archaeological work, which proved unfruitful. At the end of 2013, excavations could only commence at Yenice Höyük, which were completed by our team working under the scientific direction of Dr. Rifat Ergeç and the supervision of the Gaziantep Museum. The excavations in Yenice Höyük lasted for a month in 2013, during which rescue excavations were carried out in a partially collapsed rock-cut tomb in the Doğanpınar Dam spillway construction site, which, according to our initial observations, belongs to the 2 nd century CE. Although the dam construction started in 2014, further excavations could not take place because
MÖ 4. binyılın sonlarında Erken Tunç Çağının ilk evrelerinde küçük boyutlu bir yerleşim modeli gö... more MÖ 4. binyılın sonlarında Erken Tunç Çağının ilk evrelerinde küçük boyutlu bir yerleşim modeli gösteren Tilbaşar, MÖ 3. binyıl boyunca kent kimliği gösteren bir yapı içinde büyümeye devam etmiş ve bölgesel bir merkez konumuna ulaşmıştır. Gelişen ticarî ağlar sayesinde farklı birçok etnik yapıyı bir arada barındıran merkezde özellikle nekropol alanlarınd aki bulgular farklı kültürel yapıları ortaya koyar niteliktedi r.
Rifat Ergeç Armağanı- Studies Presented to Rifat Ergeç , 2019
Thanks to its natural location, Gaziantep is a province that has developed cultural and commercia... more Thanks to its natural location, Gaziantep is a province that has developed cultural and commercial relationships within extensive cultural geographies of Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Syria. Owing to its advantageous geographical structure in the provision of economic resources besides the cultural continuity, Gaziantep, which has been home to many settlements from the 3rd millennium onwards, is known to have been recorded in various data of written documents. However, the archaeological studies on the material cultural background needed for the development and investigation of historical artifacts created by the bits of written information obtained from written documents do not appear to be of sufficient size. Thus, this study aims to provide chronological records of the people who have worked on archeology in Gaziantep in particular as well as the studies of my esteemed senior Rifat ERGEÇ, with whom I have had the opportunity to work together for nearly ten years.
Due to its low rainfall and limited potential for water retention, northern Syria has always had ... more Due to its low rainfall and limited potential for water retention, northern Syria has always had access to and control of water as one of the main features of states in the region aiming to main-tain their rule. This article introduces new information about the Mamluk period water adduction system of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, which brought water to the Quwayq River, the city’s most important source of water. A newly documented part of the system, known in the Gaziantep region of Türkiye as the “Halep Arkı” (the Aleppo channel), is discussed along with Mamluk-era inscriptions associated with it. During archaeological survey conducted between 2016 and 2018 in the Oğuzeli region of Türkiye’s Gaziantep province, an open-air channel connected to a qanat-like tunnel with vertical shafts was documented, in addition to two inscriptions carved into the bedrock where the open-air channel met the tunnel. These inscriptions, which have been dam-aged over the centuries, were documented using RTI (Reflectance Transformation Imaging) tech-nology, which allowed portions of one of them to be read. The survey showed that this Mamluk era water system was also used and expanded in the Ottoman period beginning with the conquest of the region in the 16th century. Spoil heaps show that the system was cleaned, likely during the Ottoman era. The closing of gaps in the bedrock that came about due to earthquakes or other reasons with stone walling may also have taken place in the Ottoman period. Also, in the Ottoman period, water from other springs was added to the system and various regulations on the use of water introduced. In this article, based on topographic and hydrological study of the region, we offer suggestions of the sources of the spring water that were joined to this system
STONE QUARRIES, SCULPTURE WORKSHOPS AND THE PLACE OF YESEMEK IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST Yesemek Proceedings of the 1st and 2nd International Archaeology Symposiums, 2022
Oğuzeli Region, where the mountainous structure of Anatolia evolves towards the steppes of Northe... more Oğuzeli Region, where the mountainous structure of Anatolia evolves towards the steppes of Northern Syria, has been a region of interest for the settlement of human communities throughout history with its geo- political importance. Rocky areas were especially preferred for human settlements in the effective use of fertile agricultural areas, which are limited in the geological structure predominantly shaped by Sacır Suyu at the same time, it is observed that these areas have started to be used intensively as a raw material source in the process. In the light of the Oğuzeli Archaeological Surveys carried out with the support of the Turkish Historical Society and Gaziantep University between 2016-2018, how the rocky areas are evaluated as spatial and raw material resources and their effects on the shaping of rural settlements will be discussed.
Archaeology of Gaziantep from Prehistoric Times to the Late Antiquity, 2022
Archaeological Research on Doğanpınar Dam T he substantial economic resources allocated for dam p... more Archaeological Research on Doğanpınar Dam T he substantial economic resources allocated for dam projects in Gaziantep Province have significantly contributed to increasing the general public's awareness of cultural heritage while also bringing to light cultural assets, and thus creating economic value. In the framework of the Birecik and Karkamış Dam projects on the Euphrates River, and the Tahtaköprü Dam project on the Karasu River, many rescue excavations were carried out on various ancient sites, such as Zeugma, Şaraga Höyük, Horum Höyük, Yarım Höyük, Birecik Dam Necropolis, Taşlıgeçit Höyük, and Hamamlar Höyük. Built on the Sacır Stream, Doğanpınar Dam is the most recent dam project completed in Gaziantep Province; during the completion of this project, archaeological research was carried out on the protection sites of Yenice Höyük, Parcels 186/187, Tilbaşar, and Dede Harabeleri. Originally planned in the 1970s as part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) and included in the national investment plans of the 1990s, concrete steps for the Doğanpınar Dam were taken only in 2010. Rescue excavations of archaeological sites threatened by the dam became part of the agenda in 2011 (Fig. 1). Prior to the construction of the dam, Yenice Höyük, Parcels 186/187 (YNC3), Akça/Ağça Höyük and Tilbaşar were the only archaeological sites known in the reservoir area. In order to protect Tilbaşar and Akça Höyük, the latter prone to damage caused by water erosion, a proposal was made before the construction to lower the dam's maximum water retention level of 601 meters. Unfortunately, this proposal was rejected for economic and technical reasons. When the Archaeology Department of Gaziantep University became involved in the research work, Dr. Rifat Ergeç, a former member of our department who also acted as the Director of the Gaziantep Museum between 1989 and 1999, 2 armed with a long experience of bureaucratic processes and field studies he gained during the rescue excavations carried out in Birecik and Karkamış Dams, made attempts to initiate archaeological work, which proved unfruitful. At the end of 2013, excavations could only commence at Yenice Höyük, which were completed by our team working under the scientific direction of Dr. Rifat Ergeç and the supervision of the Gaziantep Museum. The excavations in Yenice Höyük lasted for a month in 2013, during which rescue excavations were carried out in a partially collapsed rock-cut tomb in the Doğanpınar Dam spillway construction site, which, according to our initial observations, belongs to the 2 nd century CE. Although the dam construction started in 2014, further excavations could not take place because
MÖ 4. binyılın sonlarında Erken Tunç Çağının ilk evrelerinde küçük boyutlu bir yerleşim modeli gö... more MÖ 4. binyılın sonlarında Erken Tunç Çağının ilk evrelerinde küçük boyutlu bir yerleşim modeli gösteren Tilbaşar, MÖ 3. binyıl boyunca kent kimliği gösteren bir yapı içinde büyümeye devam etmiş ve bölgesel bir merkez konumuna ulaşmıştır. Gelişen ticarî ağlar sayesinde farklı birçok etnik yapıyı bir arada barındıran merkezde özellikle nekropol alanlarınd aki bulgular farklı kültürel yapıları ortaya koyar niteliktedi r.
Rifat Ergeç Armağanı- Studies Presented to Rifat Ergeç , 2019
Thanks to its natural location, Gaziantep is a province that has developed cultural and commercia... more Thanks to its natural location, Gaziantep is a province that has developed cultural and commercial relationships within extensive cultural geographies of Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Syria. Owing to its advantageous geographical structure in the provision of economic resources besides the cultural continuity, Gaziantep, which has been home to many settlements from the 3rd millennium onwards, is known to have been recorded in various data of written documents. However, the archaeological studies on the material cultural background needed for the development and investigation of historical artifacts created by the bits of written information obtained from written documents do not appear to be of sufficient size. Thus, this study aims to provide chronological records of the people who have worked on archeology in Gaziantep in particular as well as the studies of my esteemed senior Rifat ERGEÇ, with whom I have had the opportunity to work together for nearly ten years.
Stone Quarries, Sculpture Workshops and The Place of Yesemek in the Ancıent Near East Yesemek Proceedings of the 1st and 2nd International Archaeology Symposiums, 2022
Eski Yakın Doğu’da Taş Ocakları, Heykeltıraşlık Atölyeleri ve Yesemek’in Yeri Yesemek 1. ve 2. Uluslararası Arkeoloji Sempozyumu Bildirileri
Stone Quarries, Sculpture Workshops and The Place of Yesemek in the Ancıent Near East Yesemek Proceedings of the 1st and 2nd International Archaeology Symposiums
Uploads
Papers by Timur Demir
Eski Yakın Doğu’da Taş Ocakları, Heykeltıraşlık Atölyeleri ve Yesemek’in Yeri Yesemek 1. ve 2. Uluslararası Arkeoloji Sempozyumu Bildirileri
Stone Quarries, Sculpture Workshops and The Place of Yesemek in the Ancıent Near East Yesemek Proceedings of the 1st and 2nd International Archaeology Symposiums