Living spaces are being unearthed in excavations in historic Çobankale

Excavations at Çobankale, which was built in the 10th and 11th centuries in the Ayazma village area and bears traces of the Seljuk and Ottoman periods, continue in its 8th year.

In the ongoing work under the auspices of the Presidency, with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and with the support of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and the Altınova Municipality, the wheat processing workshops and shelters in the castle were reached.

Excavation Director, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Selçuk Seçkin, told an AA correspondent that Çobankale holds an important place in Turkish and world history.

Seçkin stated that the Seljuks' arrival in the region, the closest castle to Istanbul after İznik, made Çobankale even more valuable, and that they had also unearthed new information and findings about the period through excavations.

Seçkin, who stated that they had accelerated the excavation work within the city walls, continued as follows:

"We conducted various studies to uncover remains, traces, and homes related to human life. This year, we unearthed some structures we call workshops, and we continue to trace these structures. These are workshops where wheat was ground, and indeed, materials related to wheat grinding have survived to the present day. Therefore, uncovering traces of life in the castle and the spaces where people lived has emerged as our most important discovery this year."

Seçkin stated that they will continue excavations at the castle and that they are preparing projects for the conservation of unearthed areas such as the chapel.

Seçkin stated that numerous artifacts, such as portable metal items reflecting the traces of the period, were unearthed in the excavation site, and added:

After these are coded according to where they were excavated, they are taken to the excavation house for classification, assembly, and conservation. This year, a large number of ceramics were unearthed in the area we worked in. Some are similar to ceramics unearthed before, while others exhibit different characteristics. These can be reassembled after a certain period. Important coins were also found this year. Therefore, these provide important traces of the periods in which the living space was used. The ceramics are very important finds, as are the coins, as they reveal the period of life here.

Seçkin also provided information about how experts assembled the pieces in the laboratory at the excavation house.