HARPUT İÇ KALE KAZILARI (2009-2022)
Authors: AYTAÇ İsmail 
Published: November 2023

Found in 2016 during the afforestation works in the Kurey Hill area east of Harput Castle and dated to 2000-1850 BC, the relief called Harput Relief shows that the settlement of Harput is older than previously known. Thus, it is understood that there was a settlement in this area in the Middle Bronze Age before the castle. The settlement started from this period and continued until the foundation of the Republic of Turkey. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) The first period excavations were carried out in the Harput Inner Castle between 2004-2009. After a five-year break, excavations were resumed in 2014 under the presidency of Prof. Dr. İsmail AYTAÇ. In 2017 and 2018, Harput Inner Castle Walls 2nd Stage Restorations were carried out by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The restoration projects of the Middle Neighborhood in Harput Inner Castle were carried out by Elazığ Governorship Special Provincial Administration and the implementation phase has been reached. In 2020, within the scope of the project number 87 of the Presidency of the Turkish Historical Society, the waste stones and soil accumulated in Harput Inner Castle were transported outside the castle by manpower and tractor. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) In the 2021 Harput Inner Fortress Excavation season, excavations were carried out in 3 regions. In addition, with the dungeon/cistern where the Crusader King was imprisoned, the pulpit, the Urartian sanctuary, another Urartian sacrificial slaughter area, and the replica catapult installation, the number of visitors to Harput and the Castle has increased significantly. In 2022, excavations were completed in two independent cisterns carved into the rock in the form of cubes in Trench O-4. Conservation was carried out in the mosque and orphanage in the Middle Neighborhood. The vault and ventilation dome of the Urartian water cistern / dungeon were completed within the scope of the project support of the Presidency of the Turkish Historical Society. Architectural structures such as city walls, bastions, cisterns, residences, workshops, workshops, workshops, trade houses, etc. have survived until today. Some of these structures were damaged by natural disasters and some by invasions. During the excavations, unglazed and glazed ceramic fragments, coins, glass bracelet fragments, beads, arrowheads, bone combs and hair pins, Turkish cups, Chinese and European porcelains, nozzle fragments, pendants etc. objects were found. In addition, a stone seal belonging to the Urartian Period (VII BC) was found during the excavations. A 5-volume book on the Harput citadel excavations covering the years 2014-2023 is being prepared. An Archaeopark will be created inside the castle. The largest religious ceremony area carved out of natural rocks in Turkey is located in the southwest of Harput Castle. It is planned to organize stage performances of “Harput folklore and symphony” in this area. Harput and its castle will be animated with Augmented Reality (GOART) and animation to provide visitors with an audio and visual tour. Harput, an Urban Protected Area, was accepted to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Tentative List in 2018. In addition, Harput Inner Castle was also included in the Ruins in 2020. With the start and continuation of the excavations of Harput inner castle, it will contribute to the economy of our country, our region and our city through tourism and will bring quality to the service sector. For more detailed information, please refer to the Extended Abstract at the end of the text