Selinus: Şekerhane Köşkü (türkçe)

Investigation of the construction history of the supposed cenotaph of Emperor Trajan

Location

The complex of buildings as seen from the acropolis hill

The ancient city of Selinus in western Cilicia (near the modern town of Gazipaşa, east of Alanya, Antalya Province) is the site of a complex of imperial-era buildings which may have been constructed as a cenotaph for Emperor Trajan. Known today as Şekerhane Köşkü, the complex lies between the necropolis and the agora at the transition from the acropolis hill to the plain.

History

According to Cassius Dio, the Roman emperor Trajan died at Selinus, on 8th August 117 AD, on his way from Syria to Rome. He was probably cremated there and his ashes taken to Rome to be interred in the plinth of the Column of Trajan in the Roman Forum.

In the early 13th century AD what remained of these imperial-era buildings in Selinus was converted into a hunting lodge by the Seljuqs, who shortly before had conquered the south coast of Turkey.  

Objectives

	The Seljuq entrance to the central edifice

The objective of the project is to investigate the construction history of the complex of buildings, comprising a central, two-storey edifice surrounded by colonnaded courtyards. This in-depth investigation will provide the basis for an attempt to determine the original form of the individual structures and to clarify their purpose at the time of their construction. In addition to this, by contextualising the ancient complex within the tradition of Roman funerary architecture across the empire, we hope to identify possible precursors, and also to discern whether the complex may have served as a model for funeral buildings built later in the Roman provinces.  

History of Research

	Imperial-era vaulted chamber with 'twin-storey' loopholes

In ancient historiography Selinus is mentioned above all in connection with Emperor Trajan. Early antiquaries who travelled to the site in the 18th and 19th centuries documented primarily the inscriptions and the fragments of ornamental architectural sculpture, whose artistry was esteemed. This set in train an enduring dispute about the actual purpose of Şekerhane Köşkü which lasted into the late 20th century. The spectrum of interpretations was wide, ranging from a medieval han (Heberdey - Wilhelm 1896) and a fortified tower (Hellenkemper - Hild 1990) to a cistern (Paribeni - Romanelli 1914), but also including an ancient 'mausoleum' (Beaufort 1818). In 1963-65 a first archaeological settlement survey was conducted at Selinus by Rosenbaum and her team, which resulted in the production of a complete topographic-architectural plan of the structural remains visible above ground. Redford examined the Seljuq building-and-garden complexes in the Alanya region as well as the importance of landscape and nature to the Seljuqs. He recognised that the ruins at Selinus were indeed ancient structures which had been converted by the Seljuq ruling elite into one of the palace-and-garden complexes which were situated outside the city and were used mainly for hunting and horticulture (Redford 2000).  

Previous Activities

	Imperial-era spolia incorporated in the Seljuq outer wall

Begun in 2003 by Alanya Museum under the direction of Seher Türkmen, the archaeological investigation of the complex of buildings has unearthed remarkable fragments of architectural ornament and thrown new light on the quality of its architecture. This led, in 2005, to a new collaborative project between the museum's architecture department and the Istanbul Department of the DAI directed by Prof. Adolf Hoffmann and Claudia Winterstein, who are in charge of investigating the construction history of Şekerhane Köşkü. A first field campaign in autumn 2005 - conducted in cooperation with the Geodetic Institute of Karlsruhe University (TH) - saw the establishment of a measurements network to serve as the basis for the three-dimensional mapping of the topographical and architectural situation. Building on this, work started on the structural inspection and documentation of the central edifice and a section of the temenos wall. This work continued in spring 2006. In autumn 2006, Alanya Museum initiated a campaign to record the architectural fragments which belong to the complex of buildings and are stored in the museum's depots by means of photographing, cataloguing and in some cases drawing them.  

Current Work

The work in the museum as well as the in-situ structural inspection are scheduled to be completed in autumn 2007. In cooperation with Alanya Museum, some sondages are to be sunk in the area of the colonnades and the entrance to the complex of buildings with the aim of shedding light on the structural situation.  

Methods

	Tachymetric survey on the upper storey of the central edifice

The central building was measured by hand and with an electrooptical tachymeter, resulting in a very exact and detailed architectural documentation in form of a ground plan, an oversight, sections and façade plans at a scale of 1:20, in which the results of photogrammetrical measurement were incorporated as well. The scale used in the structural inspection allows documentation at a high level of detail. Significant zones in the surrounding colonnades are also being documented, at a scale of 1:50. A plan of the entire site is being drawn up at a scale of 1:500, mapping all the imperial-era and Seljuq structural remains of Şekerhane Köşkü. The architectural remains presumably belonging to Şekerhane Köşkü and either scattered around the site or stored in the depots of Alanya Museum are being documented in a catalogue in text, sketch and photographic form. Some particularly significant fragments are being drawn at a scale of 1:2 or 1:5.  

Results

	Rear wall of the cella

The investigation into the construction history of Şekerhane Köşkü carried out so far confirms the assumption that it is an imperial-era complex of buildings that were converted in the Seljuq period with the original building material being reused. On the platform of the podium of the main edifice, few remains of the former Seljuq and Roman structures survive, but those offer revealing information about the ancient edifice. According to the observations, it consisted of a first storey probably closed on all sides and divided into two vaulted chambers, on top of which stood a temple-like structure with a cella and a colonnaded porch. Evaluation of the catalogue of architectural remains will lead to a detailed understanding of the construction and decoration of this ancient building.

The specific features of Şekerhane Köşkü all attest to very high-quality architecture. With its colonnaded courtyards, the ensemble must have presented an appearance of extraordinary grandeur in the rather humble setting, and still was ideally suited to its conjectured function.  

Cooperation

Alanya Museum

 

Contact

Dipl.-Ing. Claudia Winterstein

Bauforschung
Telefon: +49-(0)30-187711-122
Telefax: +49-(0)30-187711-191
Email: cw@dainst.de
Further Email Addresses: architektur@dainst.de

Further Contact Partners

Seher Türkmen (Alanya Museum)

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Adolf Hoffmann (c/o Head office of the German Archaeological Institute, Berlin)

Bibliography

F. Beaufort, Karamania (London 1818).
R. Heberdey - A. Wilhelm, Reisen in Kilikien (Wien 1896).
H. Hellenkemper - F. Hild, Kilikien und Isaurien, Tabula Imperii Byzantini 5 (Wien 1990).
R. Paribeni - P. Romanelli, Studi e ricerche archeologiche nell' Anatolia meridionale, Monumenti Antichi 23, 1914, 5-277.
S. Redford, Landscape and the State in Medieval Anatolia. Seljuk Gardens and Pavil-lions of Alanya, Turkey, BAR International Series 893 (Oxford 2000).
E. Rosenbaum et al., A Survey of Coastal Cities in Western Cilicia, Türk Tarih Kurumu Yayınlarından, VI. Seri 8 (Ankara 1967).