Underground gallery discovered under Topkapı Palace

A Roman-era gallery was discovered this April under the first courtyard of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. The underground corridor was discovered during landscaping work being done in the gardens on the lower tiers of the palace and park complex. The lower gardens have long been closed to visitors. The Roman structure was uncovered during underground relief work.

Three sections of the underground corridor have been preserved. The corridor itself begins to the right of the main palace entrance, the Overlord’s Gate. Earlier, a Byzantine water tank, a cistern, was found right above the gallery. Cisterns are Greek for underground reservoirs used to store fresh water.

It is possible that the Roman gallery, together with the cistern were part of a water system which has yet to be discovered. Istanbul – Constantinople is literally flooded with underground cisterns. To date, hundreds of such cisterns have already been found. The Roman Gallery, by the way, is only a five-minute walk from the famous Basilica Cistern, the largest and best-preserved underground water reservoir. It was completed in the 6th century under Emperor Justinian I.

Construction of Topkapi Palace began in 1459, just 6 years after the fall of the ancient Eastern Roman Empire and the conquest of Constantinople by Sultan Mehmed II. The palace and park ensemble, the residence of the rulers of the Ottoman Empire, is located on the Sarayburnu Cape, one of the highest points of the Sea of Marmara. Earlier there was an ancient Greek acropolis (667 B.C.).

Archaeological research into the lower gardens continues. The authorities want to fully improve the territory and open it to tourists. A decision regarding the recently found Roman gallery has not yet been made. Whether to continue excavations or to leave the underground facility “as is” time will tell. According to a source in the museum administration, nothing prevents the underground corridor from being opened to the public, at the same time as the lower gardens, once the landscaping is completed. However, it will need to be checked for safety regulations.