Marmaray route lined with history
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Radikal
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Temmuz 03, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - The discovery of an Ottoman place of worship creates the latest obstacle in the progress of the Marmaray Project. The regular discovery of historic artifacts and places along the planned route has resulted in frequent delays.
The discovery of an Ottoman place of worship has slowed down excavations on the ambitious Marmaray Project and once again created uncertainty about the route the tunnel will take.
The Marmaray Tunnel will connect Istanbul’s European and Asian sides via an underwater tube. The historic place of worship was discovered at the Ayrılık Fountain Station on the Anatolian side. Though the fountain itself was always above the surface, the existence of the open-air place of worship, called a namazgah in Turkish, below it was not previously known.
It is believed that Ottoman sultans and their armies visited the site before heading off on military expeditions. The Ayrılık ("separation") site is also where Muslim travelers about to embark on the pilgrimage to Mecca were seen off and where Sultan Murat IV started his Baghdad expedition. The fountain itself is believed to have been built in the 1600s.
Protection
In 2006, the Kadıköy municipal assembly applied to the Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board through the Kadıköy Municipality to have the area designated a protected zone. The municipality also applied to the Board of Monuments to transfer the fountain to another location because it was in the path of the Marmaray construction. The Board of Monuments requested an excavation to determine the historical value of the fountain, leading to the discovery of the namazgah.
Şule Onur, a strategy manager at the Kadıköy Municipality, said the discovery is very important one. "It was a matter of discussion whether the Ayrılık Fountain at İbrahimağa was in its original location. Some researchers claimed this was the initial location when the fountain was built; some were saying it was moved there later," Onur said. "But the excavations uncovered the namazgah near the fountain. This certifies that the present location of the fountain is the original [one]."
Onur said the municipality wants the fountain to be renovated at its present location, where it has been for perhaps 400 years, but that the decision belongs to the Board of Monuments. "We will make the fountain functional again as a present to the people of Kadıköy," Onur said. "If the fountain stays, the Marmaray route may change."
Once the Marmaray project is complete, passengers coming from Gebze will be able to continue on to Kadıköy-Üsküdar or Ümraniye via the Ayrılık Fountain Station. Those coming from Halkalı and Sirkeci will go on to Kadıköy and Ümraniye or might continue deeper into Anatolia from Gebze. The rail system between Kadıköy and Kartal will also join the Marmaray tube at Ayrılık Fountain.
The Marmaray Tunnel will connect Istanbul’s European and Asian sides via an underwater tube. The historic place of worship was discovered at the Ayrılık Fountain Station on the Anatolian side. Though the fountain itself was always above the surface, the existence of the open-air place of worship, called a namazgah in Turkish, below it was not previously known.
It is believed that Ottoman sultans and their armies visited the site before heading off on military expeditions. The Ayrılık ("separation") site is also where Muslim travelers about to embark on the pilgrimage to Mecca were seen off and where Sultan Murat IV started his Baghdad expedition. The fountain itself is believed to have been built in the 1600s.
Protection
In 2006, the Kadıköy municipal assembly applied to the Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board through the Kadıköy Municipality to have the area designated a protected zone. The municipality also applied to the Board of Monuments to transfer the fountain to another location because it was in the path of the Marmaray construction. The Board of Monuments requested an excavation to determine the historical value of the fountain, leading to the discovery of the namazgah.
Şule Onur, a strategy manager at the Kadıköy Municipality, said the discovery is very important one. "It was a matter of discussion whether the Ayrılık Fountain at İbrahimağa was in its original location. Some researchers claimed this was the initial location when the fountain was built; some were saying it was moved there later," Onur said. "But the excavations uncovered the namazgah near the fountain. This certifies that the present location of the fountain is the original [one]."
Onur said the municipality wants the fountain to be renovated at its present location, where it has been for perhaps 400 years, but that the decision belongs to the Board of Monuments. "We will make the fountain functional again as a present to the people of Kadıköy," Onur said. "If the fountain stays, the Marmaray route may change."
Once the Marmaray project is complete, passengers coming from Gebze will be able to continue on to Kadıköy-Üsküdar or Ümraniye via the Ayrılık Fountain Station. Those coming from Halkalı and Sirkeci will go on to Kadıköy and Ümraniye or might continue deeper into Anatolia from Gebze. The rail system between Kadıköy and Kartal will also join the Marmaray tube at Ayrılık Fountain.