Alahan is one of the most impressive archaeological heritage sites in Mersin province. In the 17th century, Evliya Çelebi documented his admiration for these ruins in his travel notes, referring to them as Kal’ai Takyanos (Diocletian’s Castle). This Christian architectural complex, commonly known as the ‘Alahan Monastery’, is 22 km north of Mut (ancient Claudiopolis), on the southern slope of a high mountain overlooking the Göksu Valley.
Although the scholars do not share a consensus on the construction phases, the formation of the complex can be broadly placed between the mid-5th and mid-6th centuries AD. The buildings spread over two terraces were partly carved into the rock and partially built with stone masonry. On the upper terrace are two churches (West and East churches), a baptistery, a two-story building of unknown function, a cave complex with a church, a small cemetery and a bathhouse; arranged along a porticoed road accessed from the south by monumental stairs.
Intersection of Roads
The remains on the lower terrace may belong to accommodation-related structures. Although Alahan seems to be in a remote location today, it is closely related to the historical roads connecting the Anatolian Plateau to the Mediterranean. After crossing Sertavul, the main pass of the Central Taurus Mountains, the streets following different routes along the Göksu River Valley converge near Alahan and divide into new routes. Archaeological research has shown that this Christian center was located in the hinterland of a small Roman city.
Two preserved inscriptions found in the rock-cut tombs on the slope, dating back to 461-462 AD, mention the presence of a guesthouse and a watchman. These data indicate that Alahan was settled in the middle of the 5th century AD. The first religious building is a basilical planned rock-cut chapel (7.5 x 7.7 m), part of the slope’s cave complex.
The West Church
Just after the middle of the 5th century AD, the West Church was built east of the chapel. It is a simple basilica (16 x 36 m) with three naves and galleries. In contrast to the simplicity of the plan and spatial conception, the architectural plastic (e.g., capitals, stylobate, slabs, brackets) made of local limestone is remarkable. The figurative reliefs referring to the Old and New Testaments, especially on the lintels and jambs of the large central door leading from the narthex to the naos, link Alahan with the iconographic traditions of the Eastern Mediterranean. In the center of the door lintel, four-winged angels (Kerubim) carrying Jesus in a medallion depict his ascension to heaven.
The tetramorph (four-winged creatures) carved on the underside of the lintel symbolizes the four Gospel writers. The archangels Michael and Gabriel, in the two opposite jambs, trample the creatures under their feet, symbolizing the triumph of Christianity over paganism.
The East Church
In the next phase of the complex, the baptistery and the East Church, also known as Koca Kalesi, were built. The baptistery is a basilical building (15 x 23 m) with two naves, notable for its cruciform baptismal pool, altar base and synthronon, wall paintings and graffiti of pilgrims. The East Church, more straightforward than the West Church in its decorative elements, is among the most exciting buildings of late antique architecture. In this basilica with three naves, a tower of unknown nature rises above the section west of the apse. Different researchers date this building phase to the last quarter of the 5th century AD or the first half of the 6th century AD. In the final building phase of the Christian center at Alahan, the construction of the entrance connecting all these buildings was started; however, it was never completed.
Alahan is central to many debates in early Christian archaeology and architectural history. The first of these debates concerns the function of the ruins at Alahan. The archaeological team led by Michael Gough, who conducted excavations and research at Alahan between 1955 and 1972, suggested that these ruins were a monastery. For this reason, many sources still refer to these ruins as the Alahan Monastery.
Since the 1990s, however, the idea that Alahan was founded as a pilgrimage and healing center has become more widely accepted, notably by Cyril Mango, Stephen Hill and more recently Hugh Elton. The second debate concerns the dating of the buildings and therefore, their ownership. There are different opinions about the building phases. Gough and colleagues believe that construction began under Emperor Leon I (457-474) and continued under the generous patronage of Emperor Zeno of Isauria (474-491). More recent research dates the first phase to 451-462 and the second phase to either the reign of Iustinus I (518-527) or Justinian I (527-565). In other words, Emperor Zeno of Isauria may not have had any direct relationship with Alahan.
The third controversial issue concerns the roof covering of the East Church. Is the tower west of the apse covered by a stone dome or a pyramidal wooden roof? If the roof covering is a dome and the church dates to the Zeno period, as Gough claims, this would mean that the East Church is a domed basilica.
This assumption links Alahan to Constantinople and the Eastern Church to the Hagia Sophia, built in 532-537. Hagia Sophia, under the patronage of Emperor Iustinianus, is the highest point of the church type called a domed basilica, which combines a basilica-shaped plan with a dome. Are there any predecessors of Hagia Sophia? If so, where and when were they built? If the dome and basilical form were combined in the Eastern Church of Alahan (like similar examples at Ayatekla and Dağpazarı) in the last quarter of the 5th century AD, then perhaps the origins of Hagia Sophia should be sought in the churches of Isauria. We know from written sources that in the late 5th and first half of the 6th century, Isaurian builders worked on many projects in the eastern Mediterranean and Italy, becoming famous and charging high prices for their work. The unusual spatial and structural treatments at Alahan, the structures that exemplify the skill of the builders and the reliefs that are the product of advanced stonemasonry place Alahan in a unique position in late antique architecture and art, rather than just another rural complex.
Alahan is one of the keystones of the innovative architecture and local building traditions observed in the eastern Mediterranean in the 5th and 6th centuries AD. Even if the dates, functions, patrons and architectural features of the buildings at Alahan are controversial, the way to make sense of the architectural products of the imperial capital Constantinople in the 6th century is through the building techniques, spatial understanding and structural solutions preserved in the Taurus Mountains.
Since 2000, ‘Alahan Monastery’ has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and is one of the lesser-known but unique examples of world architectural heritage. It meets the definition of ‘having an exceptional universal value in terms of history, art and science due to their architecture, compatibility or location on the land’ as defined in UNESCO’s 1972 Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
Alahan fulfills the first four cultural criteria for inscription on the World Heritage List: The architectural plastic in the building complex and the Eastern Church’s design are examples of humanity’s creative genius (Criterion 1). The architectural relationship between Hagia Sophia and the Eastern Church signifies people’s knowledge exchange (Criterion 2). The Eastern Church is an exceptional example of the domed basilica building type, representing an essential stage in the history of architecture (Criterion 4). The Alahan Christian complex is an extraordinary witness to a vanished civilization (Criterion 3). With these characteristics, Alahan is a cultural site of outstanding universal value.
Rock Church
The consensus among researchers who have studied the Alahan Monastery is that the inception of religious life here originated from the cave settlement in the western part of the terrace, situated on the mountain’s southern slope.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Günder Varinlioğlu (Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Art History, Department of Western Art and Contemporary Art)
Photos: İsmail Şahinbaş
WORLD HERITAGE MAGAZINE ISSUE 2 (APRIL 2024)