Gephyra (May 2016)
‘The Thousand and One Churches’ Revisited
Abstract
Binbirkilise, the 1001 Churches in southern central Anatolia, were visited and described by Gertrude Bell at the end of the 19th century. This place had been a main place of worship of the late Hittite state of Tarhuntasa, and there are remarkable remains of East Roman (Byzantine) churches and monasteries. The author made several visits and completed some survey work and drew plans, before the place on the summit of the volcanic mountain was partly destroyed and made inaccessible by a military installation. In consequence of this work new evidence can be presented.On the summit of the volcano described are: a) the East Roman (Byzantine) buildings in ground plan and elevation in ca. 1995; b) the special rock-formations on the top are recorded in drawings. In this way parts of the old Anatolia rock cult site could be identified and connected to the inscriptions. Bell and later visitors to the site missed this and consequently made errors. There was an open cult cella, consisting of two rooms, formed by both the natural rock forms and late Hittite hewn stones; c) South of the church a partly sculptured round stone gives the impression of a baitylos. A parallel for the niches, bearing an early Greek inscription, from Assos is shown and discussed; d) The author found evidence of the old ascending way, going straight North – South from Üçkuyu köyü to the top at 2271m, and the old “base camp”. One can see indications of the ascending way and road signs. On the summit, on the plateau of the “base camp” and on the way up, a number of rock-cut features are described. They were compared with other published findings of the kind from Anatolia, namely open cult cellas, stelai, baityloi, rock-cut cups and niches.Although suggestions are made concerning chronology, dating and use, if something was manmade or not, its use, cult-related or not etc., this paper gives importance to the documentation, it describes and shows in plans, drawings and photographs what could be seen there, before it was destroyed. It concludes with the village of Değle / Deyle / Deghile standing within monastic ruins. The new ground plan of this group of structures shows it formed one large East Roman (Byzantine) monastery. A chamosorion with a relief in Değle is described in some detail.In concluding, this paper presents new overall connections in terms of a larger scale of “town planning”. It provides both previously unpublished and more plans of architecture, ground plans, elevations, sketches, perspectives and reconstructions, providing an explanation of construction. The then current (ca. 1995) state of preservation is shown. It provides new plans of the rock cult site, and the new finds in particular of rock-cut features. The technique of drawing employed was a free-hand drawing laid over the construction, adequate for decaying walls and rock formations.
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