Turkish Studies International Periodical for the Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic Volume 11/1 Winter 2016, p. 59-76 DOI Number: http://dx.doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.9157 ISSN: 1308-2140, ANKARA-TURKEY Article Info/Makale Bilgisi Received/Geliş: 19.01.2016 Accepted/Kabul: 08.03.2016 Referees/Hakemler: Prof. Dr. Ayşe ÇAYLAK TÜRKER – Doç. Dr. Ferudun ÖZGÜMÜŞ This article was checked by iThenticate. DARKALE IN THE BYZANTINE PERIOD: SETTLEMENT AND SOME ARCHITECTURAL NOTES Ü. Melda ERMİŞ* ABSTRACT Darkale, which was included in the Mysia region in Antiquity, was within the territorium of Pergamon, an important city of the Roman Empire after the Kingdom of Pergamon. When the Roman Empire was divided into two parts, the area became a part of the Eastern Roman Empire. The plains irrigated by River Kaikos (Bakırçay) enriched the region while Tırhala Mountain remained as fortified defence. Owing to its advantageous location, Darkale must have been an important settlement during the Byzantine Period as well. This settlement was especially included in the theme of Neokastra in order to stop Turkish raids into Western Anatolia, and also to reinforce regional defense and protect the settlements. There are various opinions on the Byzantine Period settlement in Darkale. Germe, Thrakoula and Khliara are possibilities on which the researchers dwell. Although we do not possess the epigraphic data necessary to positively define the settlement in Darkale, etymological change of its name, historical development and architectural remains of a defence system in the area from the Byzantine Period support the possibility of Khliara. STRUCTURED ABSTRACT The exact date of settlement in Darkale, which is currently a village within the town of Soma in the city of Manisa, is not clear; however, there are varied opinions on its presence and name during the Byzantine Period. This paper discusses the situation in the area around Darkale within the historical process, reviews the debate on the settlement, and introduces the remains in Darkale from the Byzantine Period. * Yrd. Doç. Dr. İstanbul Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Sanat Tarihi Bölümü, El-mek: [email protected] 60 Ü. Melda ERMİŞ Darkale, included in the Mysia region in Antiquity, was within the territorium of Pergamon, an important city of the Kingdom of Pergamon and the Roman Empire. When the Roman Empire was divided into two parts, the area became a part of the Eastern Roman Empire. The plains irrigated by River Kaikos (Bakırçay) enriched the region while Tırhala Mountain remained as fortified defence. Owing to its advantageous location, Darkale must have been an important settlement during the Byzantine Period as well. This settlement was especially included in the theme of Neokastra in order to stop Turkish raids into Western Anatolia, and also to reinforce regional defense and protect the settlements. There are various opinions on the Byzantine Period settlement in Darkale. Germe, Thrakoula and Khliara are possibilities on which the researchers dwell. The localization of the cities has been examined in detail. Fortification remains constitute most of the architectural data from the Byzantine period in Darkale. Wall remains on a slope to Temenni Hill, remains in Asar Hill and Orta Bağlar, architectural plastic works used as spolia in mosques Kırkoluk and Minareli, and the pieces collected in an open area around Kırkoluk Mosque are the data that points out to the Byzantine period settlement. There are two adjacent sections of the remains of a fortress on Asar Hill. The small fortress on rocky hill extends in an east-west direction. The structure in the east is 5.20mx4.90m in size. It was made of rubble stone and lime mortar with some broken bricks used between the stones. The other structure is about 7m to the west of the former, and is 10mx8m in size. It displays better craftsmanship than the eastern structure. It was made of rubble stone and lime mortar. The southern wall consists of broken and halved bricks with alternating rows of stone and brick. There are partial remains between the two structures. The hill overlooks the entire Bakırçay Plain and the remains must have been parts of a watchtower. Surrounded by steep slopes and cliffs, Asar Hill is difficult to reach. A road paved with stones follows the softer slopes and extends to a relatively flat area near the hill. The road features steps in patches and is approximately 1km long. It expands and contracts according to the topography and has smoother and larger flagstones along the sides. On Temenni Hill, which overlooks the Darkale settlement and Soma Plain, there is a 70m long limes wall. This wall can be defined as a line that reinforces the settlement defense. The wall's height reaches 2-2.50m in some parts while only the surface trace is visible in others. The wall was not coated. The inner filling consists of rubble stone and lime mortar. The wall is 130cm thick. The remains on the hills Temenni and Asar prove the presence of a defense line. Several settlements in the Neokastra theme, which was founded by Manuel I Komnenos for the purpose of defense from the Turks, were reinforced. Unelaborate craftsmanship of the fortification remains on the hills, made of rubble stone and lime mortar, are similar to the fortresses of the Komnenos period. There is no apparent order in the construction of these fortifications located within the new chain of Turkish Studies International Periodical for the Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic Volume 11/1 Winter 2016 Darkale in the Byzantine Period: Settlement and Some Architectural Notes 61 fortresses as the main goal was to build defense structures to protect the area as soon as possible. This defensive order created by the Byzantine began in the 11th century AD and survived through the 13th century AD. Large numbers and high quality of the architectural sculptures in the settlement are striking. A large body of spolia was used in the construction of a fountain under the higher Kırkoluk Mosque, presumably built between the 18th century and early 19th century, Minareli Mosque and the new fountain at the entrance of Darkale Village. Several stone works collected around the settlement are exhibited in a park built around Kırkoluk Mosque. Some of these pieces are dated to the Early Byzantine Period according to their decoration style and composition. Most of these works are dated to the Middle Byzantine Period. The intensity of liturgical architectural sculpture indicates that there is a church. In conclusion, the settlement in the area of present day Darkale was a garrison intended to protect Pergamon against threats from the east during the Roman period. Later, especially in the 11th-13th centuries AD, the road connecting Western Anatolian ports to the interiors lost importance and southern-northern connection gained prominence, and the Darkale settlement became one of the major points along the road. Fortifications in Asar Hill and Temenni Hill show similarities to the other fortifications in Neokastra in terms of their construction technique. Darkale overlooked the Haikos Plain as a part of the Neokastra system, was located along the road, and houses architectural remains, which increase the possibility of Darkale being Khliara. Keywords: Byzantine Architecture, Neokastra, Western Anatolia, Darkale, Khliara BİZANS DÖNEMİNDE DARKALE: YERLEŞME VE BAZI MİMARİ BULGULAR ÖZET Manisa ilinin Soma ilçesine bağlı bir köy durumunda olan Darkale’nin tam olarak ne zaman yerleşim gördüğü belli olmamakla birlikte, Bizans dönemindeki varlığı ve adı konusunda farklı görüşler bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışma, tarihsel süreç içinde Darkale’nin bulunduğu toprakların durumuna değinmenin yanı sıra buradaki yerleşmeyle ilgili tartışmalar üzerinde durarak Darkale’deki Bizans dönemi kalıntılarını tanıtmaktadır. Antik dönemde Mysia bölgesinin sınırları içinde kalan Darkale’nin bulunduğu topraklar, Bergama Krallığı’nın sonrasında da Roma İmparatorluğu’nun önemli şehirlerinden olan Pergamon’un territoriumunda yer almıştır. Roma İmparatorluğu’nun ikiye ayrılmasıyla birlikte Doğu Roma İmparatorluğu’nun bir parçası olmuştur. Kaikos (Bakırçay) nehrinin suladığı verimli ovalar bölgeye zenginlik katarken, yerleşimin bulunduğu Tırhala Dağı da savunmayı Turkish Studies International Periodical for the Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic Volume 11/1 Winter 2016 62 Ü. Melda ERMİŞ güçlendirmiştir. Konumunun kazandırdığı avantajlar nedeniyle Darkale Bizans döneminde önemli bir yerleşme olmalıdır. Bu yerleşme, özellikle I.Manuel Komnenos döneminde Türklerin Batı Anadolu’ya yaptıkları akınları engellemek, bölgenin savunmasını arttırmak ve buradaki yerleşmeleri korumak için oluşturulan Neokastra themasının içinde yer almıştır. Darkale’deki Bizans dönemi yerleşmesiyle ilgili farklı görüşler bulunmaktadır. Germe, Thrakoula, Khliara araştırmacılar tarafından üzerinde durulan olasılıklardır. Çalışmada her bir şehrin lokalizasyonu üzerinde ayrıntılı durulmuştur. Tüm olasılıklar değerlendirildiğinde ve Clive Foss’un yerleşimin Bizans dönemindeki ‘ta khliara’ (τα χλιαρα) olan adının Türk döneminde Tahrala şeklinde dönüşmüş olabileceği fikri göz önüne alındığında Khliara kentinin Darkale’deki yerleşme için daha olası olduğu belirtilmiştir. Yerleşmedeki Bizans dönemine ait mimari verilerin çoğunluğunu tahkimat kalıntıları oluşturmaktadır. Temenni Tepesi’ne çıkan yamaçtaki duvar kalıntıları, Asar Tepe’deki ve Orta Bağlar mevkilerindeki kalıntılar, Kırkoluk Camisi ve Minareli Cami’de