The Kazlıçeşme Arts Center in Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, is housed in a historic Ottoman-era building that once was a military hospital. The centre boasts a stunning mosaic floor, sarcophagus, and tomb and invites visitors to explore its collection of artefacts from excavations conducted in Istanbul.
During restoration work in 2015, the first part of the mosaics was found in a historical building. This building was constructed as a military hospital in 1828 and then became the Zeytinburnu Municipality Building in 1984.
During the excavation works that continued until 2018, the remaining parts of the mosaics were unearthed. A marble sarcophagus and a cist-type tomb adjacent to the building, were also found under the mosaics.
Findings obtained from the sarcophagus and the studies on the bones revealed that the mosaics dated back to the Late Roman – Early Byzantine period. According to the carbon 14 results, the bones date back to 221 and 38 A.D. DNA tests are ongoing at the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara.
Byzantine history in Istanbul
According to examinations of the sarcophagus, which is thought to belong to the Byzantine emperor, one of the two skeletons in the sarcophagus, is 1,750 years old and the other 1,775 years old.
Work was also completed in another cist-type tomb. According to the carbon test, it was reported that the people in the sarcophagus lived between the third and fourth centuries and that the woman was 30-40 years old and the man 40-50 years old. It was claimed that the man in this sarcophagus was the Byzantine Emperor because of the purple handkerchief, as the colour purple was the symbol of nobility in the Empire.
Also, a smaller mosaic area unearthed at the western end was preserved in situ and included in the museum.
Zeytinburnu Mayor Ömer Arısoy, speaking about the discoveries made during the restoration at Kazlıçeşme Arts Center building, said, “The structure was built as a military hospital in the 1890s, and after this function, it started to serve as the Zeytinburnu Municipality in 1984, after serving as a military branch, a dormitory for officers’ children, and a sales shop. It served as the Zeytinburnu Municipality for 30 years. When the municipality moved to another building, this building was turned into a culture and arts centre after the restoration process.”
“The mosaic was discovered in 2016 during the restoration and opened to public display. But considering there might be more mosaics in the area, excavations were initiated with the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. Then we found the other part of this mosaic and a sarcophagus and the remains of two individuals inside the sarcophagus. They date back 1,755 years. This is the largest mosaic found outside the Istanbul city walls. Some parts of the mosaic got damaged but experts completed these damaged elements. On paper, at least, we can see the entire mosaic. As far as we know, the sarcophagus is the oldest one in this region. In addition, a burial chamber was discovered.”
Arısoy said that the ground floor of the building now serves as an art gallery, which is Kazlıçeşme Sanat, adding, “Inside this building, we also have a room with mosaics on the floor and a Mosaic Museum, which is located outside this building. We turned the last floor of the building into an art library. We opened the Mosaic Restaurant and Cafe by transforming a building nearby. We also have a venue for events.”
