From Edessa to Urfa : : the Fortification of the Citadel / / Cristina Tonghini.

• VerfasserIn: Tonghini, Cristina,
• Place / Publishing House: Oxford, England : : Archaeopress Publishing Ltd,, [2021]; ©2021
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Edition: First edition.
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (270 pages)

This book presents results of an archaeological research project focused on a specific monumental area, the citadel, in the city of Urfa (Turkey), known in ancient times as Edessa. Three seasons of fieldwork were carried out (2014-2016) in order to identify the building sequence of the citadel and establish an absolute chronology of events.

Table of Contents

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright page -- Contents Page -- Acknowledgements -- Conventions -- Credits -- Abstract -- Özet -- Chapter 1 -- Introduction -- Introduction to the city, from Edessa to Urfa -- Figure 1.1. General map of the area, with the location of Urfa -- The citadel in previous studies -- Figure 1.2. General map of Urfa, with the location of the citadel. © Google Earth -- Medieval fortifications in the Near East: a personal itinerary from Shayzar to Urfa -- Figure 1.3. Urfa city walls and citadel. After Niebuhr 1774-1778, 2: Pl. LI -- Figure 1.4. General view of the citadel, from the N. Photo Tarducci -- Figure 1.5. General view of the citadel, from the NE. Photo Tarducci -- Figure 1.6. General view of the citadel, from the S. Photo Reali -- Figure 1.7. The ditch on the eastern side, from the S -- Figure 1.8. The present ascent to the gate of the citadel, from the NW -- Figure 1.9. Modern circulation paths around the citadel, with Balıklıgöl park and the minaret of Maqām al-Khalīl on the right -- The project: aim, methodology and the presentation of the results -- Part 1 -- The fortification of the citadel: the written sources -- Building and re-building: a summary of events -- Chapter 2 -- Edessa and its fortifications in Byzantine times (6th-11th centuries) -- The age of Justinian -- The 7th century -- The siege of Edessa of 944 and the translatio of the mandylion to Constantinople -- The second half of the 10th century -- The 11th century events -- Figure 2.1. George Maniakes and the 'Saracens' fighting in Edessa: illumination in the chronicle of John Skylitzes (Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional de España, Vitr. 26-2, f. 205r - Imágen propiedad de la Biblioteca Nacional de España) -- Bibliography -- Chapter 3 -- The citadels and the city walls in the Syriac sources -- The first millennium: of walls and floods.

The second millennium: Turks and Crusaders -- Bibliography -- Primary sources -- Chapter 4 -- Edessa in Armenian sources -- Appendix: Descriptions of Edessa's fortifications in Matthew's Chronicle -- Bibliography -- Chapter 5 -- The citadel of al-Ruhā' in the Arabic sources: an overview -- The early Islamic period (7th-10th centuries) -- The middle Islamic period (11th-14th centuries) -- Bibliography -- Chapter 6 -- The fortifications of Edessa in medieval Latin sources -- Concerning the cities of the Persians in the Promised Land, especially Edessa or Roas, its conquest, and the war that the Christians are preparing -- Appendix: 'The cities of the Persians in the Promised Land, especially Edessa or Roas, its conquest, and the war that the Christians are preparing' (1146) -- Bibliography -- Chapter 7 -- Ruhā in the Persian sources: an elusive presence -- Bibliography -- Chapter 8 -- The citadel of Urfa in the Ottoman written sources -- Introduction -- A note on terminology and sources -- Before the Ottomans -- In the 16th century -- In the 17th century -- In the 18th and 19th centuries -- Table 1. -- Bibliography -- Part 2 -- The inscriptions from the citadel -- Chapter 9 -- Notes on some Greek inscriptions from Edessa -- Figure 9.1. Urfa, Harran Gate: Greek inscription, detail. From the S -- Figure 9.3. Greek inscription no. 2 -- Figure 9.2. Eastern curtain, interior, from the W: location of Greek inscription no. 2 -- Figure 9.5. Greek inscription no. 3 -- Figure 9.4. Southern curtain, interior, from the N: location of Greek inscription no. 3 -- Bibliography -- Chapter 10 -- The Arabic inscriptions of the citadel of al-Ruhā' (Urfa/Şanlıurfa) -- Abbasids -- Figure 10.1. General map of the citadel, with location of the inscriptions discussed in Ch. 10 -- Figure 10.2. The eastern column, from the N.

Figure 10.3. The Arabic inscription no. 1 carved on the eastern column -- Mamluks -- Figure 10.4. Southern curtain, general view of the eastern part of inscription no. 2, from the S -- Figure 10.5. Southern curtain, general view of the western part of inscription no. 2, from the SE -- Aq Qoyunlu -- Figure 10.6. Inscription no. 2: detail of first part -- Figure 10.7. Inscription no. 2: detail of central part -- Figure 10.8. Inscription no. 2: detail of last part -- Figure 10.9. Northern curtain, inscription no. 3. Photo E. Reali -- Figure 10.11. Recognisable symbol inside the medallion (drawing by R. Giunta, 2016) -- Figure 10.12. Tughra of Uzun Ḥasan (from Sözen 1981: frontispiece) -- Figure 10.10. Inscription no. 4. Photo E. Reali -- Figure 10.13. Tower 2, inscription no. 5. Photo E. Reali -- -- Figure 10.14. Northern curtain, inscription no. 5 (drawing by R. Giunta, 2016) -- Figure 10.15. Mārdīn, symbol/tughra of Uzun Ḥasan on the tower of the citadel (drawing by R. Giunta, 2016) -- Figure 10.16. Mārdīn, symbol/tughra of Uzun Ḥasan on the mosque minaret (drawing by R. Giunta, 2016) -- Table 1. Inscriptions of Abū'l-Naṣr Ḥasan in the Anatolian area. -- Ottomans -- Table 2. Main formulaic elements of inscriptions of Abū'l-Naṣr Ḥasan in the Anatolian area. -- Figure 10.17. Northern curtain, inscription no. 6 -- Figure 10.18. Eastern curtain, block from inscription no. 6, final part -- Figure 10.19. Photographic reconstruction of inscription no. 6 (R. Giunta) -- Figure 10.21. Epigraphic cartouche no. 8, west of inscription no. 6 -- Figure 10.20. Tower 3, Inscription no. 7 -- Figure 10.22. Epigraphic band between two epigraphic cartouches. © Creswell Archive, Ashmolean Museum, neg. EA.CA.6607, detail -- Other -- Figure 10.23. Southern curtain, epigraphic block no. 9, from the S -- Figure 10.24. Epigraphic block no. 9. Photo L. Tarducci.

Figure 10.25. Southern curtain, epigraphic block no. 10, reused upside down -- Figure 10.26. Epigraphic block no. 10 -- Bibliography -- Figure 10.27. Gate to the citadel, interior, from the E © Creswell Archive, Ashmolean Museum, neg. EA.CA.6606, detail -- Table 3. Inscriptions of al-Ruhā' in chronological order (those of the city in italics on grey background). -- Part 3 -- The Fortification of the Citadel: the Material Evidence -- The archaeological analysis -- The site -- Field-work methodology -- Presentation of the results -- Chapter 11 -- The material evidence: Period 1 (post 3rd-6th centuries?) -- Chronology -- Figure 11.1. General map of the citadel with distribution of Phases and Activities in Period 1 -- Figure 11.2. Western city wall, remains of gate IV, from the W -- Figure 11.3. Western city wall, gate IV, detail of dressing -- Figure 11.4. Southern city wall, remains west of Bab Harran, from the S -- Figure 11.5. Southern city wall, tower west of Bab Harran, from the E -- Figure 11.6. Western city wall, remains of tower north of Balıklıgöl park, from the S -- Figure 11.7. Southern city wall, Harran gate, from the S -- The archaeological analysis (Figure 11.1) -- Figure 11.8. Wall US 446 (A. 1), behind Tower 3 and entrance to the internal passage. From the S -- Figure 11.9. Tower 1: remains of the western city wall (US 500, A. 2) abutted by later structures, from the N -- Figure 11.10. Eastern wall, south corner (US 200, A. 3), with cuts in the rock. From the NE -- Figure 11.11. Remains of structure US 243 (A. 4) on the northern front. From the W -- Figure 11.12. Structure US 363 (A. 18), northern front. From the N -- Figure 11.13. Eastern column with Syriac inscription (A. 17), from the N -- Figure 11.14. Building N, general sketch plan with Stratigraphic Units.

Figure 11.15. Building N, western wall (US 3000, Ph. 2, A. 11), from the W -- Figure 11.16. Building N, western wall (US 3000, Ph. 2, A. 11), from the S -- Figure 11.17. Tower 4, level 2, wall US 716 (Ph. 3, A. 12), from the E -- Figure 11.18. Tower 4, level 2, wall US 716 (Ph. 3, A. 12), detail of internal face, from the W -- Figure 11.19. Tower 4, level 1 (Ph. 4, A. 13), SE corner, facing E -- © Şanılurfa Kültūr Varlıklarını Koruma Bölge Kurulu Müdürlüğü -- Figure 11.20. Tower 4, level 1, US 718 (Ph. 4, A. 13), from the N. Photo C. Tavernari -- Figure 11.21. Tower 4, level 1, stairs US 720 (Ph. 4, A. 13), from the NE. Photo C. Tavernari -- Chapter 12 -- The material evidence: Period 2 (post 6th-11th centuries?) -- Chronology -- Figure 12.1. General map of the citadel with distribution of Phases and Activities in Period 2 -- Figure 12.2. Tower L1 (left) and L2 (right) from the NW -- The archaeological analysis (Figure 12.1) -- Figure 12.3. The southern front, with the ditch cut into the rock, from the W. The line indicates the hypothetical depth of ditch in Period 2 -- Figure 12.4 Turret 8, from the E, standing on the very edge of the vertical walls of the ditch -- Figure 12.5. The ditch on the northern side, turning north toward the city. From the W -- Figure 12.6. Turret 9 abutting later structures of Period 5, from the SE -- Figure 12.7. Towers L1 and L2, general sketch plan with Stratigraphic Units -- Figure 12.8. Tower L1, from the S -- Figure 12.9. The northern ditch, from the NE -- Figure 12.10. Northern ditch, detail -- Figure 12.11. The pillar of Period 3 or 4 -- Spolia in Tower L1: a preliminary note -- Figure 12.12. The counterscarp, south-eastern corner of the ditch, from the NW -- Figure 12.13. Tower L1, core: decorated fragment no. 1 -- Figure 12.15. Tower L1, core: decorated fragment no. 3.

Figure 12.17. Tower L1, core: decorated fragment no. 5.