HAGIA SOPHIA / UNDERGROUND CRYPTO ROOM

Sultanahmet, Fatih - İstanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°00'28.0"N 28°58'44.6"E / 41.007789, 28.979059



PHOTOGRAPHS ALBUM

Great Roman Empire was divided into two in 395 as East and West Roman Empire. In fifth century, with the invasion of Italy by the German tribes, West Roman Empire collapsed and East Roman Empire became the most powerful one in the World. Although the Roman Emperor Julian wanted to revive paganism during his period (362-363), he had not been successful. The religious preference of the emperor was cleared by the last Roman Emperor 1st Theodosius’s adoption to Christianity.  With the contribution of East Roman part, Christianity was continuing to spread around the world as dominant religion.

After the Nika Revolt in 532, to be able to raise the moral of the people and to show the power of the empire, Emperor Justinian took an action for a construction of a worship placement in Istanbul as big as never thought before. The name of this construction would be Hagia Sophia. The construction which had many rumors about the inspiration, had been completed in 5 years and 10 months which was an unbelievable period with the conditions of that time.

While the reputation of the structure was spreading around the world up beyond Glorious Pagan Temples, it was reinforcing the Christianity and the effect of East Roman Empire on people. Is the relationship of East Roman Empire and Christianity, only about the belief of the people who lives in the Empire?  The answer ‘YES’ to this question will cause to miss some very important points. The subject of the fraternity between the religions and the empires depends on the reasons which are much more than the piety of the emperors and the neighborhood.

Distance is a very important factor on the destiny of an empire. Rebellions had been started because of religious, economic, cultural and class problems in each empire. Because of the transportation conditions of that time, the army which starts to stop the rebellion used to arrive at target location nearly in a year or sometimes in more than a year. If the rebellion is successful, this time period is quite enough to spread out it to some other areas. To suppress the rebellion which starts with any reason, costs much more and is more problematic than to extinguish before it starts.

Furthermore, the effects of the methods used to control the rebellion are not the kind of making the people happy. That brings the importance of having information from all areas. To be able to maintain the life of the empire, a communication network is necessary to reach the most remote dominated places. In addition, if you don’t neglect the small community people of the countries which are not managed by the celestial religion, and who believes the religion you protect, you can be aware of the behavior of your neighborhood and can take precautions according to that.

So the effect of Patriarch on the empire comes out at this point. An intelligence agency spreads out to nearly every part of the known world. A nerve tissue which all the inconvenience, disagreement, sadness to be negotiated without any hesitation and a nerve tissue which all the pain will be handled with first hand. The managers who come from the center or connected to the center are always the managers of Rome. But religion ministers are celestial people who are at the disposal of God. So, they are more close and nested on the people.

This effective and widespread network reports all the knowledge that the emperor wishes in return of their good relationships with the church. It copes for the difficult situations and threatens by showing that the power of God is with the emperor. And of course, the flow of information used to be awarded bountifully by the emperor.

There was an archive which all the knowledge from all over the empire was compiled, discussed and kept in a room called Crypto-Room. The existence of this room was never mentioned. All the priests from all over the known world was sending reports, transfer all the knowledge that was valuable for them, the situation about the people of the area they belong to, the important events and materials to the center. The wave of unrest which started in whichever area of the empire was becoming known by the church in a very short time of period.

And also, it was becoming known by the emperor of course. All the necessary prevention was taking into account and the disease used to be prevented before it was turning to a tumor. The address of all these transmitted knowledge was this Crypto-room. The authors of Orthodox Church cannot make any statement about the existence of Crypto-Room, but they make a point on the customaries and indicate that this kind of place should be present for sure. All the people who search for Christianity and for that period of time, agree for the existence of Crypto-Room.

So, even though there is no written document or any source about the subject, the existence of Crypto-Room is registered any way. Where can be the Crypto-Room at that rate?  The most powerful possibility shows that it should be in most holy and inaccessible place because the secrecy should reach the inaccessible point when it was honored by holiness. That points us the place of Crypto-Room should be in Hagia-Sophia, not in the place of patriarchate or in some other churches.

Hagia-Sophia was a place that can be entered by some procedures even for the emperor. Some areas were forbidden even for the emperor. Since the most difficult reachable point of this difficult entered place is beneath the Hagia-Sophia, this situation increases the chance of Crypto-room to be in there.

There were many speculations about this subject before, in fact the study room of Fossati was considered as Crypto-Room and this belief was ascribed to that room. By the way that seems to be quite not possible either as the location or as the size of the room. Since there is no plan about the underground of Hagia-Sophia and even not any document describing it, the spoken possibility gets stronger.

It is not sensible that Constantinople which gains the experience by the Latin invasion before, would turn in to the hands of another religion or belief. That’s why to expect a serious documentation from the archive remaining till the present time is also quite visionary. All the important documentation was transferred or exterminated when the city was realized to be lost. Nevertheless, it’s quite possible for unvalued documentation, damaged quill pens, broken ink pots, sketches or similar things to be found which will be the hints to prove the existence of the room.

In that case, why Crypto-Room couldn’t be found until today?  First reason is that the location of Crypto-Room is not determined clearly. Secondly, there are many difficulties of having archaeological excavation in historical places. Because, you may damage very important historical findings while you’re searching for the others. Especially if you search some places in underground, you cannot imagine the conclusion when you thrust through the obstacles.

When you face to a wall and you determine that the other side is space and when you point out that a spot is found, to understand if the wall is carrier or divider with the architectural mentality of that period is very difficult. You have the possibility to encounter a divider replaced by a carrier which is broken down or damaged because of earthquakes or a divider which reinforces the carrier. You cannot figure out the effects on the upper main building when you spoil the statistics of that wall.

These points are important, because, one the main possibilities for  Crypto-Room is that the main entrance of the room might be closed and concealed when the city is realized to be lost. Closing the main door of a room or room collection (that is very important that the room has only one entrance because of the security of the archive entrance) which is entered by some passages and camouflaging it by the view of corridors will be enough to keep it out of sight when they realize that the city will be lost.

Another possibility is that, the main entrance of the room or room collection to be damaged or become inaccessible by earthquakes. Even it’s the lowest one to be considered, for this possibility, some important documents to be found in the room is a subject of question. Constantinople or İstanbul with the current name is very famous with the earthquakes other than the beauty of it. Though, except domes, quite severe earthquakes had no damage about the architecture of Hagia-Sophia that was designed for strong earthquakes, they were destructive for the underground of it.

During our exploration, we have determined that many of the passages were closed because of earthquakes. For example, since an important room reached by our caver team became unreachable because of earthquakes, a new entrance from the garden to that room was built instead of the entrance which was used from the underground. This shows us that the corridor we passed is a place which could not be entered for nearly 1000 years.

The room we found was in a lucky point that it was possible to reach it from the garden. Since the place of Crypto-Room was more inner side and closer to the foundation or domestic wells of the building, it made impossible that time to reach the room with the conditions of that period. (Even now, it may not be possible to enter the building without damaging it. Since if another earthquake opened the road or destroyed the woven wall.

After the experience and knowledge we gained from our exploration diving, what shall we have with diving which will be carried out in December? Will it add some new and staggering discoveries to our knowledge? We don’t know yet. We do know one thing that the architectures like Hagia-Sophia returns you not the one you want but the one it wants.

LOCATION SATELLITE MAP



WEB SITE : Hagia Sophia Museum Administration

MORE INFO & CONTACT
E-Mail : ayasofyamuzesi@kultur.gov.tr
Phone : +90 212 522 1750 / Tel: +90 212 522 0989
Fax : +90 212 512 5474

These scripts and photographs are registered under © Copyright 2017, respected writers and photographers from the internet. All Rights Reserved.

HAGIA SOPHIA MUSEUM / UNDERGROUND TUNNELS

Sultanahmet, Fatih - İstanbul - Turkey

GPS : 41°00'28.0"N 28°58'44.6"E / 41.007789, 28.979059



PHOTOGRAPHS ALBUM

There are arguments for the existence of an extensive hidden area under the Hagia Sophia. For instance, it is well known that crypts were a common feature of the church architecture of the early Christian period. The Christian practice of burying the dead in crypts beneath churches was quite distinct from the pagan practice of burying the dead outside the walls of the city. Two of the most important churches in the Christian world during the 6th century A.D., i.e. Old St. Peter’s in Rome and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, also had an underground area beneath them.

In the case of the former, it was built over a cemetery and near a temple of an Etruscan god, whilst the latter was built over a temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Aphrodite. As Hagia Sophia was one of the most important churches in Christendom, it is expected that it would have an underground area as well, just like Old St. Peter’s and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Moreover, it is possible that like these two churches, the Hagia Sophia was also built over a pagan temple.

Yet, little is known about what lies underneath the Hagia Sophia, despite the fact that the structure has been investigated by researchers since 1935. According to one legend, the Devil was imprisoned underneath the Hagia Sophia. In another, Byzantine relics were said to be hidden by priests in secret chambers underneath the church prior to the city’s conquest by the Ottomans. These, however, are merely tales without much evidence to back them.

Though not directly beneath the Hagia Sophia, the well-known Basilica Cistern lies underground just 150 meters southwest of the ancient church and was built by the Byzantine emperor, Justinian I, in A.D. 532. This cistern is 138 m in length and 64.6 m in width, covering an area of almost 1,000 square metres.  An incredible work effort went into its construction, with 336 marble columns supporting the structure, each measuring 9m in height, and arranged in 12 rows of 28 columns.

In 1937, researchers began a survey of the underground area directly below the Hagia Sophia. This ended prematurely due to the start of the Second World War. In 1945, it was decided that the water under Hagia Sophia was to be removed for research purposes. The water level did not go down, and the pump’s motor burned out, thus bringing the undertaking to an end.
Exploring the underground tunnels beneath the Hagia Sophia.

Exploring the underground tunnels beneath the Hagia Sophia. In 2005, a survey of the wells in and around Hagia Sophia was carried out with the long-term aim of understanding the function of the underground tunnels and water system used for the building and its surrounding areas. The survey identified nine wells inside and around Hagia Sophia and its gardens. Five of these wells still contained water, and two were explored by the team. In addition, tunnels, which were used to provide ventilation and reduce humidity, were also found.

In 2009, the filmmaker Göksel Gülensoy produced a documentary that explored the subterranean region of Hagia Sophia. Gülensoy’s team was allowed to dive into two reservoirs that connected the church with the Topkapı Palace and the Underground Cistern. Near the bottom of the first reservoir, the divers found two thick pieces of wood, a bucket, and an animal skeleton.

In the second reservoir, the team discovered a number of flasks dating to 1917, glass from the chandeliers of Hagia Sophia, a chain with two rings at the end, and bits of stained glass. It is claimed that the flasks were probably dropped by British soldiers trying to get some holy water when they invaded the city in 1917.

The underground tunnels covered the city of Constantinople. The huge cistern that a galley may sail was beneath earth. The tunnels under Hagia Sophia were reaching to Crypto rooms and the rooms for secret writings. The treasures were hidden beneath Hagia Sophia due to the sieges.

There was no certain information about any burial beneath Hagia Sophia. The divers revealed some graves under Hagia Sophia, St. Antinegos, the first person to be buried in Hagia Sophia from the 13th century, and Patriarch Athanasius - both the reality beyond the legend. The team reached two narrow corridors of about 70 centimeters height through Sultanahmet Square and Topkapı Palace, possibly were used by the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II in the 5th-century as a hidden tunnel in order not to be seen by the public.

Any trace of such legendary long tunnels or secret rooms is still a question after the permission taken just for one day. Yet, there are places to be discovered. Göksel Gülensoy tried to reveal the hidden secrets of Hagia Sophia lying beneath the surface in his new documentary. He with his team of two divers and four spelunkers dived to learn more about the reservoirs which are connected to Topkapı Palace and Underground Cistern. Although he has started his studies back in 1998, he could complete his 50 minute documentary In the Depths of Hagia Sophia in 2009.

The first to explore was the reservoir close to the entrance. It is 12 meters deep and the divers found two thick pieces of wood and a bucket which turned into dust when they were touched. In the second reservoir they found a dozen flasks dated 1917, glass from the chandeliers, a chain with two rings at the end and pieces of stained glass. International Speleological Society of Boğaziçi undertook the search of the tunnels under the main hall of Hagia Sophia. They found two stone tunnels towards to Sultanahmet Square and Topkapı Palace.

Both ends of the tunnel split into two after 50 meters but the passages were closed. One of the searchers Aydın Menderes moved towards the direction of Topkapı Palace until he saw daylight between the stones. He used a pen camera to see that he had reached the palace yard. He went back to enter another tunnel which led to two rooms. There were bones and broken jugs which were expected to be the gravesite of St Antinegos who was the first to be buried in Hagia Sophia and the bones of Patriarch Athanasius.

On the floor of the main hall under the gigantic dome, the reservoir door close to the entrance was opened first. Judging by the concrete around it, it had not been used for a long time. According to records about the building, it had been decided in 1945 to empty the water under the floor for research purposes, but that attempt failed when the water level did not go down. The idea was given up all together after the pump’s motor burned out.

Thus, the doors were opened for the first time in 64 years, and for the first time in history, a diver was going underneath Hagia Sophia. It was 9:30 on a December morning and the water temperature was 6 degrees Celsius. Cameraman Engin Aydın and photographer Ozan Çokdeğer were the first to go down into the reservoir. During the exploratory work done the week before, they had lowered a camera down and saw passages below the building.

As the entrance was too narrow to accommodate the oxygen tanks of the divers, a 50-meter-long hose was prepared so they could breathe in case the passages extended to the depth of the building. The reservoir under the first door was 12 meters deep. Near the bottom, Çokdeğer saw two thick pieces of wood, resembling shovel handles, in what looked like fine condition. They turned into dust when he touched them. Then he saw a bucket, which also broke to pieces when he touched it, and an animal’s skeleton. Çokdeğer studied the walls of the reservoir for 50 minutes, and then returned to the surface.

The research team had permission to work for only a day, so they rapidly moved to the second shutter, closer to the center of the dome. Years ago, Erdem Yücer, one of the former directors of the museum, had shown Gülensoy a photograph that was taken of the foundations of Hagia Sophia. The photo showed researchers in a boat in a place filled with water, resembling the Yerebatan Cisterns.

Seismic research had also demonstrated that the area underneath the big hall was empty. The team, which had previously lowered a camera down from the second door during the first exploration, was thrilled to see two passages extending to the center of the building and to the exit door – passages that might extend to Yerebatan and Topkapı.

Diving supervisor Levent Karataş and diver Kenan Ergüç lowered the cameraman and the photographer with a rope down to the bottom of the second reservoir. The floor was covered with ooze up to their knees. The first things Çokdeğer noticed were around a dozen flasks dated 1917. British soldiers likely dropped them while trying to get some of the holy water during the invasion that year. Next they found glass from the giant chandeliers that used to light up Hagia Sophia. A further search led to a chain with two rings at the end.

Perhaps a prisoner met his death there. Chilled by the thought, Çokdeğer next found what looked like pieces of stained glass in seven colors. He sent some of the pieces up for better examination; later, they were returned to the water. The two divers were in the reservoir for 50 minutes and left after they finished recording the sealed passages inside the stone walls. They went straight to the mobile x-ray machine, where Ministry of Health personnel confirmed that the divers had no foreign objects on their bodies.

Permission for exploration had been granted on the condition that everything found was to be left in its original place and that no changes to the structure of the building were to be made. That is why the sealed passages were left untouched. The research and recording work in the tunnels beneath Hagia Sophia’s main hall was undertaken by the International Speleological Society of Boğaziçi, or BUMAD. Four experienced spelunkers with professional cameras on their helmets had eight hours to explore as deeply as they could.

First, a team from the Istanbul Gas Distribution Industry and Trade Joint Stock Company, or IGDAS, checked the entrance of the passage for poisonous gases and decided there was no threat. Just in case, the team of four was still equipped with gas detectors. Assoc. Prof. Haluk Dursun, the director of the Hagia Sophia Museum, joined the spelunkers this time. The hall they first stepped into was long, like a corridor, and strengthened with pillars.

Two stone tunnels of approximately 70 centimeters in height extended in the direction of Sultanahmet Square and Topkapı Palace - presumably the tunnels the mighty 5th-century Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II had used to go to Tekfur Palace and the hippodrome without being seen by the public. The spelunkers split into two teams and entered the tunnels in opposite directions. Both of the tunnels were strengthened with brick arches and split into two after 50 meters. One branch of each tunnel led to a spot under the dome, but those passages were closed.

Yaman Özakın and Emrah Çoraman took measurements with a laser and drew a sketch while Pelin Kurt and Aydın Menderes continued to move in the direction of Topkapı Palace. After a while, Menderes resumed his journey, starting to crawl as the tunnel height decreased to 25 centimeters. When he saw daylight between the stones in front of him, he used his pen camera and saw he had reached the palace yard.

Menderes returned the way he had come and entered another tunnel to discover two rooms approximately two meters high and five square meters in size. Bones and broken jugs were scattered around. This place, it seemed, was likely the gravesite of St. Antinegos, the first person to be buried in Hagia Sophia, in the 13th century, and Patriarch Athanasius, who was interred 200 years later. It was the most exciting discovery of the day.

“My friend Assoc. Prof. İhsan Tunay, a student of Semavi Eyice, took me on a tour of Hagia Sophia in 1990 and told me legends about the structure. Thanks to him, I became passionately devoted to the building,” said Gülensoy. In 1992, he shot a documentary on the building and its legends, “Hagia Sophia,” that won awards at the San Sebastian, Tampere and Ankara film festivals. Further motivated by this, he started work on a second film about the tunnels and reservoirs that hide the building’s secrets.

“I searched for the mystery under the floor with the help of Assoc. Prof. Haluk Çetinkaya. I believe what is beneath Hagia Sophia is much more exciting than above the surface,” he said. “I want to follow the traces of the two rooms under the abscissa for my third film. The room believed to be the place where the first priest of Hagia Sophia was buried with his belongings has not been thoroughly searched before.”

Hagia Sophia Museum Director Haluk Dursun: ‘The museum should be closed for a while’. Though foreign and domestic researchers have been inspecting Hagia Sophia since 1935, many of the building’s characteristics are still unknown, says Dursun. “I believe Gülensoy’s team made important discoveries, including discovering the rooms mentioned in archives as priests’ graves.”

The director believes those findings should be examined from an archeological perspective and that Hagia Sophia should be closed for a while so the building can be extensively scanned. “All restorers in Turkey should gather and quickly restore the mosaics and other parts,” he said, adding that there should be a “Classical Istanbul” or “Eastern Roman Civilization” museum in the city where the findings could be displayed.

A new documentary on the underground tunnels and reservoirs that permeate the earth around Hagia Sophia, Ayasofya’nın Derinliklerinde (In the Depths of Hagia Sophia), is being recorded by filmmaker Göksel Gülensoy, who states, “I believe what is beneath Hagia Sophia is much more exciting than what is above the surface.” On the floor of the main hall under the gigantic dome, the reservoir door close to the entrance was opened first for the first time in 64 years, and for the first time in history, a diver was going underneath Hagia Sophia.

The reservoir under the first door was 12 meters deep. Near the bottom, the diver saw two thick pieces of wood, resembling shovel handles and a bucket, but they turned into dust when he touched them. The second shutter, closer to the center of the dome revealed two passages extending to the center of the building and to the exit door - passages that might extend the famous Byzantine building to Topkapı Palace and the Yerebatan Cisterns. The hall into which they first stepped was long, like a corridor, and strengthened with pillars.

There they found glass from the giant chandeliers that used to light up Hagia Sophia as well as what looked like pieces of stained glass in seven colors. The spelunkers also tried to find the secret passages said to extend from Tekfur Palace, next to the old city walls, to the islands of the Marmara Sea. Two stone tunnels of approximately 70 centimeters in height extended in the direction of Sultanahmet Square and Topkapı Palace - presumably the tunnels that the mighty 5th-century Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II had used to go to Tekfur Palace and to the hippodrome without being seen by the public.

The divers entered the tunnels in opposite directions. Each of these tunnels was strengthened with brick arches and split into two after 50 meters. One branch of each tunnel led to a spot under the dome, but those passages were closed. Another branch led to the palace yard. This locale, it seemed, likely included the gravesites of St. Antinegos, the first person to be buried in Hagia Sophia, in the 13th century, and of Patriarch Athanasius, who was interred 200 years later. Permission for exploration had been granted on the condition that everything found was to be left in its original place and that no changes to the structure of the building were to be made. That is why the sealed passages were left untouched.

LOCATION SATELLITE MAP



WEB SITE : Hagia Sophia Museum Administration

MORE INFO & CONTACT
E-Mail : ayasofyamuzesi@kultur.gov.tr
Phone : +90 212 522 1750 / Tel: +90 212 522 0989
Fax : +90 212 512 5474

These scripts and photographs are registered under © Copyright 2017, respected writers and photographers from the internet. All Rights Reserved.