Monday, March 25, 2024

Tyana: Tumulus, Roman Pool, and Aqueduct Pt 1

 Photos by Jack A. Waldron


Have I said it before?  Well, I'll say it again and again.  Turkey is a magical land with nearly every type of beauty nature can offer.  Just looking at these photos takes me to a place of ecstasy, wonder, adventure, and Being.  After leaving Nigde, I headed south to ancient Tyana.


As you approach Kemerhisar (ancient Tyana) from the northeast, you will see that a Roman tumulus (or could be Hellenistic) that dominates the scene (pictured above and below).  I didn't ride my bike up to the top, because I wasn't sure it would be accessible.


There are numerous tumuli in the area around Kemerhisar, and I am sure they all have names, but I haven't done a deep dive into their backgrounds.  That said, the Nigde Archeological Museum does have artifacts from these tumuli on display, though without any identification of which specific tumulus they came from.


Pictured below, a votive mould from the Hellenistic era.  These votives were left at temples, tombs and elsewhere to bring favor from the gods.


As I cycled toward Kemerhisar, my first stop would not be the heart of the city, but a Roman constructed marble pool that is located northeast of ancient Tyana.


The water pond and its spring were certainly a known life source long before the Romans arrived, and most certainly was sacred to the ancients who lived and ruled over these lands.  I considered camping here for the night, but the park was busy, and an obvious midnight destination for young drinkers.


Surrounded by a dry landscape, the ancient spring was the life blood to the Syro-Hittite city of Tuwana, to Tuwanuwa, as it was known during the Hittite Empire, to Tuana, as the city was called under Greek rule, and to Tyana, the Latin name given to the metropolis by the Romans.


The Neo-Hittites made Tuwana the capital city of their kingdom during the 1C BCE, probably because it sits directly on the ancient trade route between northern Anatolia and the Mediterranean coast.


This ancient trade route passed directly through the Cilician Gates to the south, and was anchored to the Hittite city of Tarsa (modern Tarsus), home to the Cleopatra Gate.


As you can see in these photos, the crystal clear spring water is as inviting today as it must have been to an ancient trader and his train of camels, oxen, and mules (an ancient Mesopotamian breed).


The Romans built things to last, and this marble constructed pool is a testament to that, as it is still a functioning entity of the ancient infrastructure two-thousand years later.


Pictured below, a close-up of one of the marble blocks reveals some interesting markings.  They/It may indicate some information, designate the block as a point of importance, or perhaps it is simply the scratches of an encamped ancient?


Though the ancient aqueduct this pool once fed is non-functional, there is enough of the remaining structure that it could easily be restored to working order.


Pictured above, a section of aqueduct leading from the Roman Pool at like height/level towards ancient Tyana.  This is the starting point of the rise in height/level of the aqueduct as it begins its controlled descent into the city, thus no ached columns are necessary, yet.


While following the ancient aqueduct into the city, I was side-tracked by the city park pictured above.  I noticed some interesting antiquities within its walls, so of course I had to investigate!


It's hard to tell if this park was simply the brainchild of the Belediye (City), or if this section of land had been vacant for hundreds or thousands of years due to some special designation?


Were these ornately sculpted Corinthian and Ionic capitals excavated or found on this site, or were they brought here for decorative purposes?


Was this an ancient temple complex, or perhaps these are the remains of the tombs of wealthy families, that lined the main road along its journey into the city, which was common practice during ancient times?


Pictured below, a stele, which leads me to think that this was indeed the site of an ancient necropolis.  If so, it would follow that the tomb structures were most likely quarried over the millennia by the locals for their blocks in order to build houses, and buildings for other community functions.


That said, many of the antiquities in the park display the touch of masters, and would be purposed for much richer constructions than tombs.  


Normally, these sorts of antiquity pieces are the odds and ends that are found and collected from various places around a community, and end up stored in the courtyard of the local archeological museum.


However, there is no Kemerhisar Archeological Museum, so, I am guessing that this city park is the repository for the less important finds from around the local area.


Further, since the Nigde Archeological Museum to north is so close, not mention the Eregli Archeological Museum of equally near distance to the south, most of the major finds of ancient Tyana end up in those museums.


My guess is that this park may be the future location of the Kemerhisar Archeological Museum, and that the city will slowly see the investments it deserves.  Ancient Tyana has yet to be fully discovered, with most of its remains still buried under the Ottoman era city.


As you will see from my photos as I get closer to the ancient city center, nearly every building from the Ottoman period is in part constructed from ancient blocks.


With regard to the future of ancient Tyana and city of Kemerhisar, there will be a great challenge for the city administrators, historians and archeologists of what to preserve and what to raze?  Kemerhisar is in the very beginning of its preservation and restoration project.  Please see similar projects in the works in my posts on Caesarea Mazaka: Kayseri Part 2.


All parties must agree on what Ottoman era structures to preserve and restore, what Byzantine era structures to restore, what 19th and 20th century remains to remove in order to excavate the Roman and previous era constructions, such as a bouleuterion, theater, baths, temples, etc.?


As you can clearly see in these photos, some buildings contain a hodgepodge of ancient material within their construction.


The mosque pictured above may have been constructed out of the remnants of an ancient Roman or Byzantine building, similar to the Alacamii [mosque] in Kadiri, which took over a 2C AD Roman building.


As I understand the process, after a city has mapped out the areas it wants to excavate for antiquities, it enacts restrictions on any new construction, and slowly buys up the defunct properties.


City projects such as these take time, involving investigations by archeological teams, legal red tape, applications, more red tape, consensus, money, and so on.


As you can see in the two photos above, artifacts such as this geison/cornice need to be evaluated as to whether they are Classical or Neo-classical building members, and there are tens of thousands all over the city.


Pictured above and below is a perfect example of an Ottoman era structure that has utilized Classical building materials in its construction.  In the old district of Kayseri, buildings such as these are being restored . . . , slowly.


Back on the main road that runs between the Roman Pool and the ancient city center, it's a matter of following the Roman aqueduct, which is pictured below, covered and hidden by overgrowth.


Gradually, the aqueduct begins break free from the brush with large stone blocks forming the bases that once supported the arches that lofted the channel which brought life to ancient Tyana.


Eventually, the pillars grow taller, as and arches appear.  I am not sure if the sections of aqueduct nearer the city have seen some restoration, but it seems so.  Kemerhisar (ancient Tyana) has one of the longest and best preserved aqueducts in Turkey.


I would love to see the Tyana aqueduct functioning again!  The aqueduct at Aspendos in Antalya still has water flow, and I'm sure there are probably more in Turkey.


As you can see in the photos above and below, there are many displaced blocks stored under the aqueduct arches.  Restoration of the structure will take a monumental effort, and I would love to return to see it complete!


In my next blog post, I will continue to follow the aqueduct toward the ancient city, and I will include a video I shot as I rode my bike along this route.


I leave you with the appropriately name 'Tyana Street', which is the road that follows the aqueduct.  Stay tuned for 'Tyana: Part 2.


Every cycling day is a great day!!

*All photos and content property of Jack A. Waldron (photos may not be used without written permission)

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Friday, February 23, 2024

Nigde: Landscapes, Crossroads and Cultures

Photos by Jack A. Waldron


With Mount Erciyes, or, Mount Argaeus as it was known in ancient times (pictured in the distance in the photo above), being a constant in the scenic element of the landscape south of Kayseri, I began my journey to Nigde (pronounced Nih-day).  For the Hittites, the city was settled as Nahita or Naxita, and for the ancient Greeks, it was Nihda.  Regardless of who has controlled this area, whether the Assyians, Phrygians, Greeks, Armenians, Persians, Hellens, Romans, Byzantines, etc., Nigde sits at the center of many crossroads that connect the far corners of Anatolia.


As I cycled the plateau that rises from the valley south of Mount Erciyes, I was overtaken by the serenity and calm.  There were such magnificent fields of wild flowers, that it became difficult to cycle onward without taking the time to really appreciate the miracle of our planet.


I'll refer to this section of the post as 'the selfie-perspective exhibit'! The selfie gives some context and size comparison, which I find helps the viewer.  My thinking typically contemplates using one photo out of a group of photos, such as these.  But here, all of these flowers were just so wonderful, I have to include this whole group of selfies.  Sorry!!


If you are knowledgeable with regard to these flower types, feel free to tell us in the comment section below.


As I write this, I'm trying to think of a clever song that contains a number of flower names in the lyrics, but I can only come up with "Ring a Ring o' Roses"!


It never ceases to amaze people that someone would ride a bicycle up and around mountains, over hot deserted plains, or deal with the traffic of cities, but if they only knew the free feeling a simple two-wheeled non-motorized transport can offer!  In the Disneyland of ancient cities, the thrill lasts longer than any amusement park ride, in my humble opinion.


If there are any ancient remains within the city center of Nigde, they were destroyed, quarried, or built over long long ago.  There are however some post-Byzantine monuments that have survived and been restored.  The Hudavent Hatun Mausoleum is one of them (pictured below).


I wrote extensively about post-Byzantine rule over the area of greater Kayseri in my post titled, 'Caesarea Mazaka: Part II', so I encourage you to give it a read, as period was quite fractured, turbulent, as well as disruptive.


When I look at the intricate geometrical reliefs of the Islamic style, I see a direct lineage with Byzantine style relief.


Pictured below, this Byzantine column with inlaid colored stone and geometrical pattern can be found in the Istanbul Archeological Museum.


I saw a number of such tomb structures during my time in Erzurum, but I didn't take any photos of them, because I never thought I would be interested in post-Roman history, but as I've traveled, the Byzantine era and later have entered my interests.


The Nigde Archeological Museum courtyard, like most museum courtyards around Turkey, are home to countless unmarked treasures, such as the relief pictured below.


This particular relief, showing a male figure carrying bunches of grapes, looks suspiciously Phrygian to me, with the elevated sloping cap and turned up horn toed footwear, though Hittite reliefs also show similar footwear.


How do you crack a block of stone to create a flat slab so that you might sculpt a relief on its face?  Better yet, how do you drill holes into a slab of stone circa 1200 BCE?


Pictured above, a bull being attacked by a lion, whose paw you can see clawing the bovines head over its back from behind.  More Roman eagles (pictured below).


Every museum in Turkey seems to be flush with stone sculptures of eagles.  The birds of prey were also a favorite subject of the Commagene culture, whose kingdom was absorbed into the Roman Empire.


My grandmother had a Virgin Mary statue on her front lawn, as many Catholic households did back in the day.  I guess these birds of prey played a similar role?


So, with regard to the main attraction in the city center of Nigde (at least for antiquities nuts like myself), it is the Nigde Archeological Museum.


Within this particular post, I've only provided a few of the photos that I shot there, but there will be plenty more in my posts on ancient Tyana, Gumusler Monastery and more.


Since there are few ancient attractions within the city center of Nigde, I decided to provide some information regarding the coinage of ancient times.


There is a nice collection of coins at the museum, but unfortunately, my old camera has always struggled to get clear close-ups.


I did manage to get a couple of decent shots of coins, which you can see at the bottom of this post.


Pictured below, two coins that represent a massive amount of history regarding the area known in ancient times and present, as Cappadocia.


*All photos and content property of Jack A. Waldron (photos may not be used without written permission)

**If you'd like to help with future postings, please feel free to support them through PATREON: