Archaeological excavations in Van's Old City, a historic settlement in eastern Türkiye that was once home to civilizations including the Urartians, Ahlatshahs, Ayyubids, Ilkhanids, Anatolian Seljuks, Akkoyunlus and the Ottoman Empire, have uncovered traces of an Ottoman-era barracks.
With permission from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, a 20-member expert team – including art historians, historians and archaeologists – began excavations in 2022 under the leadership of professor Gülsen Baş Terzioğlu from the art history department at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University.
This year’s work focused on the southwestern part of the city and revealed remnants of an Ottoman barracks believed to date back about 150 years.
Artifacts found at the site include bronze coins, bullet casings, tobacco pipes, glazed and unglazed Ottoman ceramics, various metal objects, cannonball fragments and burned documents.
The project aims to restore and revive key historical structures in the area for tourism, including the Grand Mosque, Red Minaret, Abbasağa Mosque, Hüsrev Pasha Inn, Double Bath, Miri Granary, two churches and a cistern.
Terzioğlu told an Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent that Van's Old City, used as a major settlement from the Urartian period to the late Ottoman era, spans about 450,000 square meters.
She noted that only a few structures from the Ottoman and Seljuk periods still stand in Van, largely due to destruction during the Armenian uprisings of 1896-97 and the Russian occupation.
Describing significant discoveries from the past three years of excavations, Terzioğlu said: “After (Ottoman) Sultan Süleyman conquered Van in 1548, major urban development took place here. We can say the Ottoman period had a major influence on the city’s current physical layout. Toward the end of the Ottoman era, some military and public buildings were constructed here. This year, we focused on the Ottoman barracks located in the southwest part of the city.
“Archival documents show that Sultan Abdülaziz, who ruled from 1861 to 1876, initiated military reforms aimed at strengthening both the navy and land forces. As part of this effort, large barracks were built across several regions of the empire, and Van was one of those locations. Visual records from the 18th and 19th centuries document a massive barracks complex covering nearly 10,000 square meters.
“There’s also an album from the era of Sultan Abdülhamid II, who attempted to photograph historic Ottoman structures. It includes clear photos of this barracks.”
Based on the findings so far, Terzioğlu said the team intensified work near the southwest towers of the city.
“At about 40 centimeters (15 inches) deep, we encountered several spaces enclosed by stone walls about 35 centimeters high,” she said. “As we continued, near the Hüsrevpaşa Complex, we found more neatly cut stone walls enclosing areas, along with some evidence indicating the location of the barracks gate," she said.
She added, “As our work continues, we aim to more clearly reveal the layout, architecture and military equipment used in this large Ottoman barracks.”
Terzioğlu said the excavations uncovered bronze coins, bullet casings, tobacco pipes, glazed and unglazed Ottoman ceramics, various metal objects, cannonballs, shrapnel and fragments of burned documents.
“These artifacts are classified, restored, recorded and then handed over to the Van Museum Directorate,” she said. “They are very important data.”
