Remains from a 1,500-year-old church have been discovered during infrastructure works by Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (İSKİ) on the Asian shore of the Bosporus, reports said Wednesday.
Ancient artifacts dating back 1,500 years were unearthed when İSKİ teams started conducting excavations for the shaft which would transfer water to the waste water treatment facility around six months ago, Ihlas News Agency (IHA) reported.
Istanbul Archaeology Museum officials were reportedly informed about the artifacts, including a pillar with unique patterns.
After doing research, museum officials reportedly said that the artifact was as old as the city's famous Hagia Sophia Museum.
Shopkeepers around the area have complained that the infrastructure work has negatively affected their business, as officials have closed the road leading to their stores.
Selim Altın, a shopkeeper in the area complained to IHA that they were told by İSKİ officials that the excavation would take only two months, but has still not been finished even though it has been over six months.
Photos taken in the area show walls and rooms of what is thought to be the ancient church.
Being the capital of the Ottomans and the Byzantines, Istanbul is home to thousands of ancient artifacts and historical sites.
73,000 tablets and 2,000 manuscripts with another 60,000 historical pieces have been unearthed alone during the construction of the Marmaray railway tunnel connecting the two sides of Istanbul under the Bosporus.
Beylerbeyi is a neighborhood in Istanbul's Üsküdar district, whose history dates back to the 7th century BC when it was founded by ancient Greek colonists.
