Yenikapı () is a port and a quarter in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
,
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, in the metropolitan district of
Fatih
Fatih () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 15 km2, and its population is 368,227 (2022). It is home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the mayor's office, police headquarters, metro ...
on the
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an side of the
Bosphorus
The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...
, and along the southern shore of the city's historically central peninsula.
Yenikapı is notable for the ongoing excavations on its
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
port, first discovered in 2004. Yenikapı’s
archeological investigations have become one of the largest in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, due to the size and number of the shipwrecks found since the initial discovery, and the large number of associated artefacts. The commercial harbor, called the Harbour of Theodosius, in use between the 5th and the 10th centuries, was an alternative to
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
's traditional berths situated along the inlet of the
Golden Horn
The Golden Horn ( or ) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with the Bosphorus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, the waters of the ...
.
The Yenikapı Square is an artificial piece of land created on the
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...
, enlarging Yenikapı. It is used for large gatherings, particularly pro-
ErdoÄŸan political rallies, and events such as the
Ethnosport Cultural Festival.
Transportation
The
Yenikapı Transfer Center is also the site of an underground mass rapid transit terminal, the construction of which was delayed by the massive excavations necessary for the project. The new Yenikapı terminal provides interchanges between the
Hafif Metro (M1) line and the
M2 line — both of which constitute part of the
Istanbul Metro
The Istanbul Metro () is a rapid transit railway network that serves the city of Istanbul, Turkey. Apart from the M11 line, which is operated by TCDD Taşımacılık, the system is operated by Metro Istanbul, a public enterprise controlled by th ...
network — and the new
Marmaray railway link connecting the
Anatolian and European sides of the city through a new tunnel under the
Bosporus
The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...
.
Yenikapı is also a
station on the
İstanbul-Halkalı suburban railway line.
Archaeology
8,000-year-old skeletons were discovered, and with the continuous excavations, further graves have been unearthed. The graves reveal that Istanbul used to be home to the earliest settlements during the Stone Age.
The skeletons were found in four prehistoric graves.
Further excavation of the site revealed 34 sunken ships dating between the seventh and eleventh centuries AD. Vessels of this type from the Byzantine Period display characteristics of both shell-first and frame-first construction. The Yenikapi ships display a transition from the use of unpegged
mortise-and-tenon joints as fasteners for the lower strakes to using
coaks by around AD 900. Coaking was only present on one Byzantine
shipwreck
A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. It results from the event of ''shipwrecking'', which may be intentional or unintentional. There were approximately thre ...
before the discovery found off
Bozburun. The Yenikapi round ships are a clear break from the classical tradition of ship building which form a wine glass hull with alternating half frames and floor timbers. Instead the round ships of the Byzantine Period are flat-floored with inline framing. The sunken ships have been conserved at the
Istanbul University
Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...
and the
Institute of Nautical Archaeology in
Bodrum
Bodrum () is a town and district of Muğla Province, Turkey. About 200 thousand people live in the district, which covers 650 km2 and includes the town. It is a port town at the entrance to the Gulf of Gökova. Known in ancient times as Hal ...
.
There were also remnants of some walls found during the excavations. They are now considered to be the first city
walls of Constantinople
The Walls of Constantinople (; ) are a series of defensive wall, defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (modern Fatih district of Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire b ...
, erected when the city was founded as Byzantion.
About 500 pieces taken from the relics unearthed during the Marmaray excavations were exhibited at the
Istanbul Archeology Museum.
In order to provide an adequate urban and architectural design for the archaeological site, an international design competition was organized in 2012, with the project by
Peter Eisenman
Peter David Eisenman (born August 11, 1932) is an American architect, writer, and professor. Considered one of the New York Five, Eisenman is known for his high modernist and deconstructive designs, as well as for his authorship of several archi ...
and Aytac Architects eventually selected as the winning proposal. The project also envisages the realization of an archeo-park and a large archaeological museum.
In 2020, archaeologists discovered animals remains and skeletons, including cats, dating back to the Byzantine period.
References
Resources
*
*
External links
* Saudi Aramco World
Uncovering Yenikapi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yenikapi
Fatih
Fishing communities in Turkey
Quarters of Fatih
Transit centers in Istanbul