İstanbul Tuzla Değirmenaltı Manastırı Arkeolojik Kazılarından Elde Edilen Bizans Dönemi Verilerinin Değerlendirmesi

The archaeological excavations at the "Tuzla Değirmenaltı Monastery" commenced in August 2023 as part of a project developed by Emlak Konut and in accordance with the decisions made by the Istanbul Regional Board for the Protection of Cultural Heritage No. 5. The ongoing excavations, led by the Istanbul Archaeological Museums Directorate, are located in Tuzla District, Merkez Neighborhood, block 192, plot 1. In these excavations, which date to the Middle Byzantine Period, various structures of the monastery have been identified, including the church, atrium, dining hall, crypt, cistern, workshop, toilet niche, storage area, and burial sites. In addition to these sections, a substantial amount of archaeological material from the 2nd to the 13th centuries A.D. has been uncovered during the excavation process. Despite the destruction that occurred in the 1970s in and around the excavation site, the extensive area exhibited by the complex indicates that this monastery is one of the largest Christian structures on the Asian side of Istanbul. There is a high probability that the monastery is one of the five monasteries mentioned in historical sources, and in this regard, field and archival studies are ongoing.