Anadolu University sheds light on the history of Eskişehir and the Ottoman Empire with its archaeological studies at Karacahisar Castle, which will shed light on the founding period of the Ottoman Empire full of unknowns. In 700, the 1999th anniversary of the establishment of the Ottoman Principality, Prof. Dr. The first scientific studies, which started as surface research with the initiatives of Halil İnalcık, have been carried out by Anadolu University faculty members with archaeological excavations since 2001. Since 2019, Anadolu University Art History Department Dr. Instructor Under the chairmanship of its member, Hasan Yılmazyaşar, the Presidential Decision and the excavations, which continued for 12 months, yielded very important results.
Excavations and findings
According to the archaeological findings, Karacahisar Castle, which was first inhabited in the Byzantine period at the beginning of the 7th century; It is located in a very strategic location, dominating Ankara, Istanbul, Kütahya and Seyitgazi roads. The castle, which has an extremely important place in Turkish history as the first conquest of the Ottoman Empire, is the place where the first sermon was read and the first coin was struck, according to the Ottoman chronicles. The majority of the ceramic findings obtained in the excavations carried out in Karacahisar Castle date back to the Late Byzantine and especially the early Ottoman period. However, more precise data on the history of the region, together with the original castle, have been found in archaeologically identified coins. It has been understood that most of the 2019 coins found in the excavations carried out between 2021-741 belong to the early Ottoman period. The examples of Murad I period between 200 and 1362, represented by 1389 coins, revealed that the castle was the scene of a very intense settlement during this period. As a result of comparative evaluations with the Ottoman history, it was understood that this settlement was for military purposes. Coins also revealed that there was an uninterrupted settlement in the castle until the reign of Mehmed the Conqueror, except for Murad I. In addition to the Ottoman findings, archaeological findings belonging to the Byzantine and Latin-Crusader periods were found in the castle, along with Germiyanoğulları, Memluklu, Karamanoğulları, Menteşeoğulları, Aydınoğulları and Altın Orda.
Anadolu University owns history
Anadolu University, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in carrying out numerous archaeological excavations in different regions of Turkey, is mobilizing all its possibilities for the Excavations of Eskişehir Karacahisar Castle. The interior design and technical equipment of the Karacahisar Castle Working Station, which was built by the Eskişehir Governor's Office in 2021, was carried out with the resources of our University, contributing to the continuation of the scientific studies of the excavation team in a healthy and comfortable environment. Anadolu University, which meets the transportation and food needs of the excavation team with its own resources, also supported the excavation project within the scope of the Scientific Research Project. The renovation of a laboratory area in the Faculty of Letters and its allocation to the excavation team allowed the findings to be analyzed and documented, and the excavation work to continue throughout the year. In this way, at the same time, the students in the excavation team were enabled to participate in scientific activities in their spare time, and an environment was created for consolidating their theoretical knowledge with applications.
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