• Doctor honoris causa (Dr. h.c.) - National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia (NUACA), Yerevan • Hon. Inspector for Archaeology, Artificial Cavities Sector - Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (MiBACT) Rome (Italy • Member of Scientific Board of the journal "Opera Ipogea" of CNCA - National Artificial Cavities Commission – Società Speleologica Italiana, Bologna (Italy) • Founding Member of the Centre for Underground Studies, Genoa (Italy)
Artificial cavities, i.e. man-made structures excavated within rock masses in the mountains, belo... more Artificial cavities, i.e. man-made structures excavated within rock masses in the mountains, below the ground, or in the subsoil of urban areas, are typically distinguished based upon the epoch of realization and the function for which they were originally used. They can be ranked into the following types, in turn divided in sub-classes: hydraulic works, dwelling works, worship works, war works, mining works, transit way works and others. The above criteria are essential for establishing a general common line aimed at providing optimal elements for cataloguing and comparing subterranean features, which may favor the creation of databases functional to knowledge, protection and enhancement of the hypogean works. In addition, there is another useful aspect for studying the origin and evolution of underground structures that takes into account their implementation modalities. The National Commission on Artificial Cavities of the Italian Speleological Society has identified, according t...
This volume presents previously unpublished data (including inter alia plans, photographs, catalo... more This volume presents previously unpublished data (including inter alia plans, photographs, catalogues, sources, geological analyses, water/drainage, travellers' reports) gathered from recent major archaeological investigations into a number of important underground structures from the six districts that together form the territory historically known as 'Cappadocia' (eastern-central Turkey) - Aksaray, Kayseri, Kirsehir, Nevsehir, Nigde and Yozgat. Besides synthetic data (name, location, type, planimetrics), each of the 40 records detailed in this work includes a route-finder, historical and urban-setting notes, descriptions of the underground site and related plan based on instrumental surveys or sketches. Italian and English text.
The historic city of Genoa is developed in the natural amphitheater bounded between the western r... more The historic city of Genoa is developed in the natural amphitheater bounded between the western ridge of the old Lanterna Promontory and the east ridge of Carignano hill. This historical amphitheater is characterized by several small catchments, from W to E: San Bartolomeo, San Lazzaro, San Teodoro, Lagaccio, Sant'Ugo, Carbonara, Sant'Anna and Torbido. These watercourses, modified over time in channels, flow culverted under the streets of different neighbourhoods: the name of alleys are often referred to their presences. All the brooks of historical centre flow fan-shaped into the Genoese port basin and show flood discharge ranging from 22 m3/s to 82 m3/s. The hidden hydrography is the memory of the urban development during the history of the city; is possible, through walls and heterogeneous construction methods, establish that the culverts were started since the Middle Ages. The culverted streams in the historical town of Genoa are typical artificial cavities: these underground structures show historical and scientific values and could represent an issue for cultural and economic developments. However these culverts may become a preferential area of geo-hydrological hazards, due to scarce hydraulic sections, land use change in the catchments, structural feature of the culverts and the acknowledged changing in rainfall regime in the Genoa Metropolitan area: so we can recognize a risk due to vulnerable elements on the surface. A better knowledge of these culverted streams in Genoa historical city becomes basilar for hazard and risk assessments related either to land planning activities either to the recognition of this important hypogeal cultural heritag
Información del artículo Archeologia delle cavità artificiali: le ricerche del Centro Studi Sotte... more Información del artículo Archeologia delle cavità artificiali: le ricerche del Centro Studi Sotterranei di Genova in Turchia.
The Ka.Y.A. project began in Ahlat (East Turkey) in 2007, by Centro Studi Sotterranei / Centre fo... more The Ka.Y.A. project began in Ahlat (East Turkey) in 2007, by Centro Studi Sotterranei / Centre for Underground Studies of Genoa (Italy), in the main project ‘Eski Ahlat Şehri Kazisi’(The Ahlat ancient city excavation) directed from 2005 to 2010 by Dr. Prof. Nakış Karamağaralı (Gazi University, Ankara). The Ka.Y.A. project aims to identify and study the rock-cut sites around Ahlat, as completion of major archaeological excavations in the ancient city located on the northern shores of Lake Van. The Ahlat region is a huge area, at an altitude between 1,700 and 2,500 m, and wedged between massive volcanic systems. During four years of research (2007-2010) the archaeo-speleologist team documented 395 rock-cut sites and underground structures most of which date back to medieval and post-medieval times, relating to different cultures and religions: Armenian, Seljuk, Ilkhanid, Kara Koyunlu, Ak Koyunlu and Ottoman. The results of the first survey campaign were completed in 2007 and published as BAR S2293 (2011), the second campaign 2008 is available as BAR S2560 (2013). These volumes are now supplemented by the new discoveries uncovered during the third season in 2009, with the hope to publish as soon as possible the results of the last mission completed in 2010.
Since 1991, the Centro Studi Sotterranei of Genoa has conducted the exploration, survey and docum... more Since 1991, the Centro Studi Sotterranei of Genoa has conducted the exploration, survey and documentation of rock-cut and underground structures located in different regions of Turkey. The Ka.Y.A. project was begun in 2007, with the goal of the identification and the study of rock-cut sites around Ahlat in eastern Turkey, as completion of major archaeological excavations in the ancient city located on the northern shores of Lake Van. It is a vast area, at an altitude between 1,700 and 2,500 m.a.s.l. and wedged between massive volcanic systems. During the four years of research the team documented 395 rock-cut sites most of which date back to medieval and post-medieval times and relating to different cultures and religions: Armenian, Seljuk, Ilkhanid, Kara Koyunlu, Ak Koyunlu, and Ottoman. The results of the first survey campaign were completed in 2007 and published as BAR S2293 (2011). That volume is now supplemented by the data obtained during the second season in 2008, with the hope to publish as soon as possible the results of the subsequent missions completed in 2009 and 2010. Parallel Italian and English text.
Dal 2004 il Kale (castello) di Bitlis, nella Turchia sud-orientale, è oggetto di scavi archeologi... more Dal 2004 il Kale (castello) di Bitlis, nella Turchia sud-orientale, è oggetto di scavi archeologici che hanno permesso il recupero di diversi vani all’interno dell’imponente fortezza che sovrasta la città. Tali ricerche, oltre al rinvenimento di strutture murarie e materiali ceramici, vitrei e metallici, stanno consentendo di meglio precisare la cronologia e l’uso dell’edificio nei suoi articolati ambienti. Tra le strutture rintracciate ve ne sono due, completamente ipogee, rilevate e studiate dal Centro Studi Sotterranei di Genova, che gli autori presentano, discutono e confrontano con opere sotterranee simili, in questo articolo.
The 2004 Ani (the ancient Armenian capital on the eastern border of modern Turkey) expedition was... more The 2004 Ani (the ancient Armenian capital on the eastern border of modern Turkey) expedition was devoted to the inspection of the underground structures. The monumental town was built around the 10th century on a platform defined by deep canyons which cut the volcanic rocks of the plateau. The artificial cavities are located all along the walls of the canyons, often in two or more layers. The structures were first investigated in 1915, beginning a process of identifying, exploring and classified more than 800 cave forms. The 2004 mission checked the status of the dwellings with respect to the investigation of 90 years before, to undertake a detailed exploration of some selected dwellings chosen as term of comparison, and to investigate with special care those underground structures which were inside or close to the city walls, in order to establish the relations between the town and the underground sites. The first chapter of the report gives a short account of the objectives of th...
Interest in man-made (or artificial) cavities in the countries of the Mediterranean Basin led the... more Interest in man-made (or artificial) cavities in the countries of the Mediterranean Basin led the Commission of the Italian Speleological Society to study and catalogue some of the most common troglodyte types in the region. Since 2000, the Commission has drawn up a study of the geographical distribution of rock-cut structures through a project initially developed by Mario Mainetti and Erica Besana in 1994. This geographical catalogue has been realised through integrating the information available in the international bibliography with the scientific research carried out by the Commission and the research groups affiliated therewith. The result of this work is a list of 1948 rupestrian sites distributed throughout 31 countries and represented on a general map. In this chapter, a general overview of the project is presented, along with a description of some case studies from different countries, including Tunisia, Libya, Turkey and Italy.
The settlement of the St. Eustachius church is excavated in the volcanic stones in the back part ... more The settlement of the St. Eustachius church is excavated in the volcanic stones in the back part of the Tokalı church. The latter is a second monument is a very well-known rupestrian church in the Cappadocia area, but the structure of the whole settlement in which the Tokalı is inserted it’s still subject of studies and hypothesis. So the St. Eustachius church, with its small room, covered with a vault enriched by a beautiful mural painting, its sepultures and its very articulated system of secondary rooms and tunnels, creates a rich and very challenging subject for the scholar and the surveyor. In fact the St. Eustachius settlement is carved in the peaks closing the plateau over the back of the Tokalı, because of its higher level it looks directly toward the Uçhisar Castle, placed at a linear distance of four kilometers, creating all the conditions to communicate with this important outpost using visual signals. In the remains of its tunnels, crossing the stone from the plateau to ...
""Dal 2007 il Centro Studi Sotterranei di Genova svolge campagne di ricerca sul... more ""Dal 2007 il Centro Studi Sotterranei di Genova svolge campagne di ricerca sulle manifestazioni rupestri e le cavità artificiali di Ahlat (Turchia orientale), a complemento degli scavi archeologici promossi dalla Gazi Üniversitesi di Ankara. Ad oggi sono stati individuati quasi 400 siti rupestri costituiti da strutture di varia tipologia: opere di transito, opere idriche, opere residenziali e relative infrastrutture, opere di culto. Queste ultime appartengono a diverse confessioni religiose e culture che si svilupparono in questo territorio: Islam (Selgiuchidi, Ak Koyunlu, Kara Koyunlu, Ottomani), Buddismo (Ilkhanidi), Cristianesimo (Armeni). Nel presente contributo si desiderano tracciare le prime considerazioni sui khatchk’ar - letteralmente “croci di pietra”, appartenenti alla cultura armena. Si propone qui una prima classificazione in base al tipo di supporto (a stele, parietali, murali), alle tecniche di realizzazione (graffiti, incisioni, excisioni), alle funzioni (consacrazione, commemorativa, funeraria, decorativa, votiva, segnaletica) e all’iconografia (distinta in dieci categorie, a loro volta suddivise in numerose varietà). Se raramente si osservano petroglifi identici, nel contempo emergono elementi formali che ricorrono con più frequenza: apici stellati, basi a gradoni, occhielli e globuli. Tali elementi consentono di riconoscere nei khatchk’ar di Ahlat modelli stilistici peculiari della cultura armena, sebbene più rozzi nella tecnica e semplificati nelle forme, tali da domandarsi se si tratti semplicemente di forme arcaiche o se siano piuttosto espressione di comunità pastorali marginali, non inserite nel circuito artistico dei grandi centri religiosi coevi. ""
Artificial cavities, i.e. man-made structures excavated within rock masses in the mountains, belo... more Artificial cavities, i.e. man-made structures excavated within rock masses in the mountains, below the ground, or in the subsoil of urban areas, are typically distinguished based upon the epoch of realization and the function for which they were originally used. They can be ranked into the following types, in turn divided in sub-classes: hydraulic works, dwelling works, worship works, war works, mining works, transit way works and others. The above criteria are essential for establishing a general common line aimed at providing optimal elements for cataloguing and comparing subterranean features, which may favor the creation of databases functional to knowledge, protection and enhancement of the hypogean works. In addition, there is another useful aspect for studying the origin and evolution of underground structures that takes into account their implementation modalities. The National Commission on Artificial Cavities of the Italian Speleological Society has identified, according t...
This volume presents previously unpublished data (including inter alia plans, photographs, catalo... more This volume presents previously unpublished data (including inter alia plans, photographs, catalogues, sources, geological analyses, water/drainage, travellers' reports) gathered from recent major archaeological investigations into a number of important underground structures from the six districts that together form the territory historically known as 'Cappadocia' (eastern-central Turkey) - Aksaray, Kayseri, Kirsehir, Nevsehir, Nigde and Yozgat. Besides synthetic data (name, location, type, planimetrics), each of the 40 records detailed in this work includes a route-finder, historical and urban-setting notes, descriptions of the underground site and related plan based on instrumental surveys or sketches. Italian and English text.
The historic city of Genoa is developed in the natural amphitheater bounded between the western r... more The historic city of Genoa is developed in the natural amphitheater bounded between the western ridge of the old Lanterna Promontory and the east ridge of Carignano hill. This historical amphitheater is characterized by several small catchments, from W to E: San Bartolomeo, San Lazzaro, San Teodoro, Lagaccio, Sant'Ugo, Carbonara, Sant'Anna and Torbido. These watercourses, modified over time in channels, flow culverted under the streets of different neighbourhoods: the name of alleys are often referred to their presences. All the brooks of historical centre flow fan-shaped into the Genoese port basin and show flood discharge ranging from 22 m3/s to 82 m3/s. The hidden hydrography is the memory of the urban development during the history of the city; is possible, through walls and heterogeneous construction methods, establish that the culverts were started since the Middle Ages. The culverted streams in the historical town of Genoa are typical artificial cavities: these underground structures show historical and scientific values and could represent an issue for cultural and economic developments. However these culverts may become a preferential area of geo-hydrological hazards, due to scarce hydraulic sections, land use change in the catchments, structural feature of the culverts and the acknowledged changing in rainfall regime in the Genoa Metropolitan area: so we can recognize a risk due to vulnerable elements on the surface. A better knowledge of these culverted streams in Genoa historical city becomes basilar for hazard and risk assessments related either to land planning activities either to the recognition of this important hypogeal cultural heritag
Información del artículo Archeologia delle cavità artificiali: le ricerche del Centro Studi Sotte... more Información del artículo Archeologia delle cavità artificiali: le ricerche del Centro Studi Sotterranei di Genova in Turchia.
The Ka.Y.A. project began in Ahlat (East Turkey) in 2007, by Centro Studi Sotterranei / Centre fo... more The Ka.Y.A. project began in Ahlat (East Turkey) in 2007, by Centro Studi Sotterranei / Centre for Underground Studies of Genoa (Italy), in the main project ‘Eski Ahlat Şehri Kazisi’(The Ahlat ancient city excavation) directed from 2005 to 2010 by Dr. Prof. Nakış Karamağaralı (Gazi University, Ankara). The Ka.Y.A. project aims to identify and study the rock-cut sites around Ahlat, as completion of major archaeological excavations in the ancient city located on the northern shores of Lake Van. The Ahlat region is a huge area, at an altitude between 1,700 and 2,500 m, and wedged between massive volcanic systems. During four years of research (2007-2010) the archaeo-speleologist team documented 395 rock-cut sites and underground structures most of which date back to medieval and post-medieval times, relating to different cultures and religions: Armenian, Seljuk, Ilkhanid, Kara Koyunlu, Ak Koyunlu and Ottoman. The results of the first survey campaign were completed in 2007 and published as BAR S2293 (2011), the second campaign 2008 is available as BAR S2560 (2013). These volumes are now supplemented by the new discoveries uncovered during the third season in 2009, with the hope to publish as soon as possible the results of the last mission completed in 2010.
Since 1991, the Centro Studi Sotterranei of Genoa has conducted the exploration, survey and docum... more Since 1991, the Centro Studi Sotterranei of Genoa has conducted the exploration, survey and documentation of rock-cut and underground structures located in different regions of Turkey. The Ka.Y.A. project was begun in 2007, with the goal of the identification and the study of rock-cut sites around Ahlat in eastern Turkey, as completion of major archaeological excavations in the ancient city located on the northern shores of Lake Van. It is a vast area, at an altitude between 1,700 and 2,500 m.a.s.l. and wedged between massive volcanic systems. During the four years of research the team documented 395 rock-cut sites most of which date back to medieval and post-medieval times and relating to different cultures and religions: Armenian, Seljuk, Ilkhanid, Kara Koyunlu, Ak Koyunlu, and Ottoman. The results of the first survey campaign were completed in 2007 and published as BAR S2293 (2011). That volume is now supplemented by the data obtained during the second season in 2008, with the hope to publish as soon as possible the results of the subsequent missions completed in 2009 and 2010. Parallel Italian and English text.
Dal 2004 il Kale (castello) di Bitlis, nella Turchia sud-orientale, è oggetto di scavi archeologi... more Dal 2004 il Kale (castello) di Bitlis, nella Turchia sud-orientale, è oggetto di scavi archeologici che hanno permesso il recupero di diversi vani all’interno dell’imponente fortezza che sovrasta la città. Tali ricerche, oltre al rinvenimento di strutture murarie e materiali ceramici, vitrei e metallici, stanno consentendo di meglio precisare la cronologia e l’uso dell’edificio nei suoi articolati ambienti. Tra le strutture rintracciate ve ne sono due, completamente ipogee, rilevate e studiate dal Centro Studi Sotterranei di Genova, che gli autori presentano, discutono e confrontano con opere sotterranee simili, in questo articolo.
The 2004 Ani (the ancient Armenian capital on the eastern border of modern Turkey) expedition was... more The 2004 Ani (the ancient Armenian capital on the eastern border of modern Turkey) expedition was devoted to the inspection of the underground structures. The monumental town was built around the 10th century on a platform defined by deep canyons which cut the volcanic rocks of the plateau. The artificial cavities are located all along the walls of the canyons, often in two or more layers. The structures were first investigated in 1915, beginning a process of identifying, exploring and classified more than 800 cave forms. The 2004 mission checked the status of the dwellings with respect to the investigation of 90 years before, to undertake a detailed exploration of some selected dwellings chosen as term of comparison, and to investigate with special care those underground structures which were inside or close to the city walls, in order to establish the relations between the town and the underground sites. The first chapter of the report gives a short account of the objectives of th...
Interest in man-made (or artificial) cavities in the countries of the Mediterranean Basin led the... more Interest in man-made (or artificial) cavities in the countries of the Mediterranean Basin led the Commission of the Italian Speleological Society to study and catalogue some of the most common troglodyte types in the region. Since 2000, the Commission has drawn up a study of the geographical distribution of rock-cut structures through a project initially developed by Mario Mainetti and Erica Besana in 1994. This geographical catalogue has been realised through integrating the information available in the international bibliography with the scientific research carried out by the Commission and the research groups affiliated therewith. The result of this work is a list of 1948 rupestrian sites distributed throughout 31 countries and represented on a general map. In this chapter, a general overview of the project is presented, along with a description of some case studies from different countries, including Tunisia, Libya, Turkey and Italy.
The settlement of the St. Eustachius church is excavated in the volcanic stones in the back part ... more The settlement of the St. Eustachius church is excavated in the volcanic stones in the back part of the Tokalı church. The latter is a second monument is a very well-known rupestrian church in the Cappadocia area, but the structure of the whole settlement in which the Tokalı is inserted it’s still subject of studies and hypothesis. So the St. Eustachius church, with its small room, covered with a vault enriched by a beautiful mural painting, its sepultures and its very articulated system of secondary rooms and tunnels, creates a rich and very challenging subject for the scholar and the surveyor. In fact the St. Eustachius settlement is carved in the peaks closing the plateau over the back of the Tokalı, because of its higher level it looks directly toward the Uçhisar Castle, placed at a linear distance of four kilometers, creating all the conditions to communicate with this important outpost using visual signals. In the remains of its tunnels, crossing the stone from the plateau to ...
""Dal 2007 il Centro Studi Sotterranei di Genova svolge campagne di ricerca sul... more ""Dal 2007 il Centro Studi Sotterranei di Genova svolge campagne di ricerca sulle manifestazioni rupestri e le cavità artificiali di Ahlat (Turchia orientale), a complemento degli scavi archeologici promossi dalla Gazi Üniversitesi di Ankara. Ad oggi sono stati individuati quasi 400 siti rupestri costituiti da strutture di varia tipologia: opere di transito, opere idriche, opere residenziali e relative infrastrutture, opere di culto. Queste ultime appartengono a diverse confessioni religiose e culture che si svilupparono in questo territorio: Islam (Selgiuchidi, Ak Koyunlu, Kara Koyunlu, Ottomani), Buddismo (Ilkhanidi), Cristianesimo (Armeni). Nel presente contributo si desiderano tracciare le prime considerazioni sui khatchk’ar - letteralmente “croci di pietra”, appartenenti alla cultura armena. Si propone qui una prima classificazione in base al tipo di supporto (a stele, parietali, murali), alle tecniche di realizzazione (graffiti, incisioni, excisioni), alle funzioni (consacrazione, commemorativa, funeraria, decorativa, votiva, segnaletica) e all’iconografia (distinta in dieci categorie, a loro volta suddivise in numerose varietà). Se raramente si osservano petroglifi identici, nel contempo emergono elementi formali che ricorrono con più frequenza: apici stellati, basi a gradoni, occhielli e globuli. Tali elementi consentono di riconoscere nei khatchk’ar di Ahlat modelli stilistici peculiari della cultura armena, sebbene più rozzi nella tecnica e semplificati nelle forme, tali da domandarsi se si tratti semplicemente di forme arcaiche o se siano piuttosto espressione di comunità pastorali marginali, non inserite nel circuito artistico dei grandi centri religiosi coevi. ""
Scoperta, esplorazione, documentazione e rilievi topografici delle grotte site nel comune di Magl... more Scoperta, esplorazione, documentazione e rilievi topografici delle grotte site nel comune di Magliolo (Savona-Liguria)
The Ancient Ahlat City Excavation in Ahlat, which is a province of Bitlis, located at the North W... more The Ancient Ahlat City Excavation in Ahlat, which is a province of Bitlis, located at the North West of Lake Van, is the largest excavation site of Turkey, spread on an area of 50 km2 and it is one of the most important city excavations in Turkey. Following the surface surveys in 1966- 67, the first excavations have been started in the Selçuklu (Meydanlık) Cemetery in 1968 by Prof. Dr. Haluk and Beyhan Karamağaralı and continued until 1992 without interruption. However after then the works had to be suspended because of terror. The excavations, which have restarted in 2005 and 2006, are being carried out under the direction of Asst. Prof. Dr. Nakış Karamağaralı since 2007.
In the meantime, with the studies carried out by Centro Studi Sotterranei, that started to collaborate since 2007, the fact that Ahlat has got an underground development beyond any imagination is being revealed through the discovery of the water networks, tunnels, rocky dwellings, churches and other worship settlements, among which a Buddhist temple excavated in the heart of a hill. A new parallel project started with the specific aim to identify, explore and document the ancient works dug by men in the cliffs of the region in order to make a ‘Chart of Rock Settlements of Ahlat’.
The Ka.Y.A. project began in Ahlat (East Turkey) in 2007, by Centro Studi Sotterranei / Centre fo... more The Ka.Y.A. project began in Ahlat (East Turkey) in 2007, by Centro Studi Sotterranei / Centre for Underground Studies of Genoa (Italy), in the main project ‘Eski Ahlat Şehri Kazisi’(The Ahlat ancient city excavation) directed from 2005 to 2010 by Dr. Prof. Nakış Karamağaralı (Gazi University, Ankara). The Ka.Y.A. project aims to identify and study the rock-cut sites around Ahlat, as completion of major archaeological excavations in the ancient city located on the northern shores of Lake Van. The Ahlat region is a huge area, at an altitude between 1,700 and 2,500 m, and wedged between massive volcanic systems. During four years of research (2007-2010) the archaeo-speleologist team documented 395 rock-cut sites and underground structures most of which date back to medieval and post-medieval times, relating to different cultures and religions: Armenian, Seljuk, Ilkhanid, Kara Koyunlu, Ak Koyunlu and Ottoman. The results of the first survey campaign were completed in 2007 and published as BAR S2293 (2011), the second campaign 2008 is available as BAR S2560 (2013). These volumes are now supplemented by the new discoveries uncovered during the third season in 2009, with the hope to publish as soon as possible the results of the last mission completed in 2010.
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In the meantime, with the studies carried out by Centro Studi Sotterranei, that started to collaborate since 2007, the fact that Ahlat has got an underground development beyond any imagination is being revealed through the discovery of the water networks, tunnels, rocky dwellings, churches and other worship settlements, among which a Buddhist temple excavated in the heart of a hill. A new parallel project started with the specific aim to identify, explore and document the ancient works dug by men in the cliffs of the region in order to make a ‘Chart of Rock Settlements of Ahlat’.