BIKE CLASSICAL: Barata (aka Binbir Kilise): The Upper City of One Thousand and One Churches, Part 2

Photos by Jack A. Waldron

I slept so soundly in front of 'Church 1', that a musical dream danced around my head during the early morning. Birds sang as they fluttered around the pole on top of my tent. Then, a dog growled and woke me, it was time to start the day, and my journey to the 'Upper City' in the district known as Uckuyu (37°25'52.7"N 33°07'01.8"E).

As I cycled the road to the 'Upper City', I could see green covering every slope and flat area. Mount Karadag and the surrounding peaks play a major role in making this area inhabitable by trapping the misty clouds on their heights, thus filling the pools, springs and creeks.

I'm pretty sure that the modern road would have been laid atop the ancient path that takes us to the 'Upper City'. As the road twists and turns, there are some hints of ancient structures up on the rises, but these are distant from the main group at the citadel, though they do warrant investigation.

Then, as you approach the 'Upper City' you begin to see the shapes of large domed structures with arched windows supported with columns. Pictured in the left of the photo below, one such building can be seen meeting the blue sky.

The buildings, which range from the 5-9C CE, begin to dominate the landscape as you approach. The wealth that provided for the construction of these massive structures came from these fertile lands, deep green pastures of abundance (pictured below). If you would like more historical background on the area and ancient Barata, please read my post 'Barata (aka Binbir Kilise): The Upper City of One Thousand and One Churches, Part 1'.

After climbing the steep mountain road, I was welcomed into the courtyard of an old caretaker (and I think the owner of the surrounding lands), who sat me down and served up some beautiful Turkish hospitality, tea (pictured below).

My Turkish is limited, and nobody at the site could speak English, so trying to figure out which building was which was difficult. Like at the 'Lower City', there is only one signboard, and of course no site map provided. Though challenging, I do think I have been able to match my photos with the correct architectural drawings.

Some photos of the major buildings at the site are provided on the site signboard, which were accompanied by architectural drawings. The problem is, the photos and drawings presented on the signboard do not match up, so while the architectural drawings are numbered with the structures rooms lettered, and identified by named, the photos have none of this information.

So, I've included the site signboard here (pictured above), so that if you (the reader) have more exact information on the site, feel free to add your information to the comments section at the bottom of this post. Organizing the correct drawings with my photos took quite a bit of architectural detective work, and there may be some mismatches.

The information provided on the site signboard (pictured above) offers some very basic historical background on both the 'Lower City' and the 'Upper City', so I will include that information as we go. Let's begin with structures 36-43 (at least that's how I think the drawing is labeled, pictured below).

As you can see in the drawing above and the photo below, this is one of the largest complexes within the 'Upper City'. There is a large church/basilica (number 32) at the top of the drawing (pictured above), photos of this structure are further down, and can be recognized by the large wooden beams propping up its entrance walls and arches. It is located off to the right and out of view in the photo below.

If I am correct, this elongated building you see in the photos should be a Monastery. Further, if it is a Monastery, then it should include residences, chapels, community spaces, kitchen, dining room, and so on. The building pictured in the distance of these photos looks to be a large chapel, which we will enter further down.

Heading toward the chapel, the narrow side rooms along the way are quite well preserved, and even have some arched ceilings still intact. You'll notice a sub level with an arched ceiling in the photo below that was most likely used for food and drink storage.

The room pictured above also has beam slots at the top of the walls, so there was probably an upper space or attic, perhaps for sleeping, or storage. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be up there during an earthquake, and perhaps that is the main reason for beamed ceiling, protection from above.

As with the 'Lower City', these structures range in age between the 5-9C CE, and as I pointed out in Part 1, many of the stone blocks used to build these structures were probably re-purposed from Roman, Hellenistic, or even earlier constructs.

Upon entering the chapel at the end of the monastery complex, I think it's fare to say that this building remained in use until more recent times.

With its intact arched ceilings over the ambulatory, and much of its walls still covered with stucco, its state of condition is better than other chapels around the site.

As I stated, due to the good condition of this building, I suspect it served some function in more recent times: you can see in the photo below an Islamic mihrab has been added to the interior of this space. Mihrab niches indicate the direction of Mecca to the worshippers.

Pictured below, a staircase leads to the now non-existent second level of the chapel. The mortar used to secure many of the stone blocks does not match other aspects of the structure, which indicates that this building has been re-imagined and re-configured for other uses over the millennia.

Exiting the chapel on its backside, turning and capturing the photo below, we can see that this ancient structure is quite intact, and is in need of some restoration work before it degrades further.

Pictured below, a low level wall that has a door with two side jams standing with no head jam. Beyond this low wall is a higher wall with a doorway leading into a dark room. Above these walls we can see a building on the right that has a modern build, new mortar, and probably from the post Byzantine era. The building in the top left of the photo is also most likely from the post Byzantine era, and is in a poor state of condition.

As a matter of fact, we can see from all of these photos that if these buildings do not receive the structural support they require, they will not be recognizable in the not too distant future. One problem is, so many of the structures are rebuilds from more ancient building materials, so what should be restored, and what shouldn't? I would love to establish an organization titled, 'Ancient Site Adoption', and this particular site of the 'Upper City' could be called 'Googleland', and they would fund the preservation and restoration of these structures.

Pictured above and below, this is the church or basilica that is drawn in the illustration I spoke of before. Teetering on collapse, the arched entrances and walls are one strong earthquake away from falling into the abyss.

I appeal to the world Christian community to save and preserve your own history by dedicating some funds to these sights. Please fund the historical societies, organizations, and universities that are dedicated to preserving sites such as these. As one cycles around Turkey, it's very common to see large plots of reforested areas with huge signboards telling which corporation, university or municipality funded the planting project. These ancient sites could use some similar support and attention.

Pictured from a distance (above), and as illustrated on the site signboard (below), structure number 32 is a multi-level Byzantine era basilica/church.

I have to admit, the 'Upper City' is one of the most confusing sites I have ever been to, because none of the buildings have signboards telling what they are officially. Second, when you have so many ancient structures crumbling around you, it's very easy to confuse one's photos.

The magnificent three windowed apse of church/basilica number 32 is pictured below, which is shown in the illustration above, also with three windows on the plan. Though I did manage to get this wonderful shot, I did not go inside to get interior shots, because the state of this building was quite bad, and dangerous.

Pictured in the left of the photo below, the three windowed apse of church/basilica number 32 can be seen, and in the center of the photo, the entrance arches and walls of the same building with its wood supports (shown previously).

The 'Upper City' site is in desperate need of a site map showing where each building is located with a key. A simple area view photo of the site with a key would be helpful.

Moving on, pictured above is the large church in what I believe to be building complex numbered 33-36, and we are looking at the larger church with the two window apse, as shown in the diagram below.

As I've stated in the past, I originally wasn't so interested in the Byzantine period, but as the years moved on, and the sites became a mix of pagan and Christian, I could see the direct connection with ancient Roman history, as well as the slow migration of the population from the pagan gods to the Christian god.

All of the churches, chapels and other spaces of the 'Upper City' have a lot of hidden surprises, whether it's something architectural, or the position of the structure, or unique inscriptions, and so on.

For myself, the most interesting aspects about this large church are; first, it appears to be a depot for antiquities found around the area, and second, there are several interesting inscriptions, including one on the altar base, that we will look at.

Something sad about this church, is that a number of the antiquities look like they have been vandalized. Several stone reliefs of crosses have been smashed, broken and left on the ground with their parts scattered (pictured below). It's difficult to say when this occurred, but I have seen such vandalism in recent times, as there are ignorant people all around the planet.

That said, when I look at the stone blocks used to construct churches such as this, I see possible pagan stones that were quarried after the destruction of Ancient Greek or Roman buildings or temples. I often see mosques that are built of Christian stone, Roman columns, and Greek capitals.

Pictured below, the church apse with steps or seating around an altar. It's this altar that has a lengthy inscription in Greek. Please note the shape of the altar, and the holes in its corners and its center. I have a few thoughts on this piece, and I'll present them here.

It's likely that posts were placed in the holes of the altar, and these posts supported thick marble slabs with religious reliefs, such as the flat marble panel slabs we saw previously in a broken state. With front and sides covered, this would have formed a hollow box, and with a slab laid across the top, a perfect Christian altar would have been created.

Though the lighting was not in my favor, I took the photo below in order to give a complete view of the inscription, which follows the top edge.In the photos below, I've given close-ups of the inscription in sections for those who would like to do a translation.

Please feel free to add your translation to the comments section at the bottom of this post. The sections are from left to right, and the photos overlap a bit.

You can see the inscription along the top edge of the altar, and it spans the entire length of stone block.

Key to understanding the history of this block is a translation of the inscription.

There is something peculiar about this complex of buildings, the wall surrounding them, and the central positioning of the smaller church within the site. If you look at the diagram of this group of buildings, you can see a small church or chapel outside the apse of the larger church, which is in view outside the apse window in the photo below.

When I look at the lower section of the outer wall of this small church/chapel, I see something I have seen at many other ancient sites: what I see is, the podium, base, and cella blocks of a Roman temple, such as an in antis style, in antis double style, or a tetrastyle/prostyle temple. Pictured below, a shot of the small church/chapel narthex and the interior of the structure.

If you compare the podium, base and cella blocks of the Roman temple at Tlos, you will see that this small building in the 'Upper City' may in fact be a Roman temple that was at some point converted into a church or chapel.

Pictured above, with the church/chapel/temple in full view from the 'Lower City', and with Mount Kizildag in the distance beyond, an altar can be seen in the middle of the apse. I want to point out the direct positioning of the building towards the 'Lower City' and Mount Kizildag.

Pictured above and below, views of the large church complex and apse as seen from the smaller church/chapel/temple. Both of these structures are surrounded by a wall, with the small building being in the center (see the site diagram). This wall is reminiscent of ancient sanctuary walls that were sometimes built to form sacred enclosures around Roman temples, such as the sanctuary of Augustus/Kybele at Pessinus.

Next, I went back into the large church to photograph more of the interesting artifacts scattered around the naos/nave, as well as some interesting inscriptions within the arched entrances. Pictured blow, a Greek inscription with red paint on a stone block at the site of the small church/chapel/temple.

Unfortunately, I did not get photos of the complete exterior of the small church/chapel/temple, as I must have been in a bit of a rush to get back on the road. Though the 'Upper City' does not jump out at the visitor like Kibyra or Stratonikeia, there is much more to this site than one would expect.

Speaking of which, look at the Greek inscriptions etched into the blocks of this arch (pictured above and below). Were they inscribed during the Byzantine period, the early Roman Christian period, or are the blocks from an earlier period?

I wish I had continued my Ancient Greek language studies, because I would love to translate the inscription pictured here. AI should be able to handle such translation work in the very near future, and I look forward to that day. In the meantime, feel free to offer your translation in the comments section at the bottom of this post.

The 'Upper City' grounds are littered with museum pieces, and to tell the truth, I am quite shocked. If these antiquities were pre-Byzantine pieces, I think it's fare to say they would not be stacked up and laid out in open depots just waiting to be taken or vandalized.

Leaning against the arched passages we can see some large decorative slabs with rough reliefs of Byzantine era religious motifs. I can honestly say, that I have no idea how these pieces were used, but I am curious.

I have noticed in these photos something that escaped me when I was at the site. Though there are large stone blocks placed under the arches that appear to offer a floor (see the photos above), the height of the arches are set so low, as to force people to bend over when entering/exiting, especially in the case of the smaller arch (pictured at the left in the photo below).

I think it's very possible that the floor of this church is buried under about a meter of soil, and under this layer are probably Byzantine era mosaics. As far as I have been able to find out, the 'Lower City' saw very limited excavation work in 1907 by William Mitchell Ramsay and Gertrud Bell, and that's the extent of any excavation work. So, I do not think the 'Upper City' has ever been excavated, and has at most had its surface layer surveyed.

The gentleman pictured above is a local who really wanted to show me around the ancient city, but our communication was extremely limited. Also, I normally don't like to get people in my shots when I'm shooting the structures. Next, it was time to push on to what I believe is known as complex number 34 (illustrated diagram below).

Complex 34 contains the remains of a very large structure, which I suspect is a basilica, and if it were complete, would dwarf most if not all of the other buildings within the 'Upper City' (pictured below). I must point out however, I have a difficult time matching the diagram above to the photo below, so I am not sure if they are one and the same?

My guess is that, over the past few hundred years this building has been heavily quarried for its stone blocks. The blocks are very well shaped and uniform, which make them a perfect building material for local homes and livestock structures.

I didn't have time to survey the local houses, but I guess most missing blocks can be seen throughout Madensheri and Uckuyu. Pictured below, this is a very impressive entrance door to the basilica. When compared, the design and material of this door doesn't appear to have changed much from earlier entrances built for pagan temples.

There really wasn't much more to photograph within the large basilica. Of course, that is said from a basic point of view, because there are always interesting details to be discovered. However, time is not our friend, so I had to move on. Pictured below, a sarcophagus lid can be seen upside down on top of these boulders.

I suspect that a sarcophagus was once positioned on top of these rocks, which acted like a podium of sorts, but eventually the sarcophagus fell victim to grave robbers, and was smashed open.

Pictured above, one of the most well ornamented fences in modern Turkey, with ancient building members used as a crown. On the other side of this fence, you can see heaps of ancient stone that once adorned magnificent structures from around the 'Upper City'.

My friend is back, so I snapped another photo of him. Here, he is sitting on a makeshift water trough, and it's a nice one, made from expensive white marble that looks like it might have once served as a Byzantine capital. Pictured below, this is a diagram of build number 31, that is labeled as a church, and which has a two window apse.

This is one of the better preserved structures of the 'Upper City', and I was very excited to photograph it. The structures of the 'Upper City' extend far beyond the center of Uckuyu, and there are hidden gems scattered about.

As a matter of fact, many of the ancient structures cannot be seen from a distance, because they lay in heaps of stone low to ground. The rolling hills obscure many of these piles of stone, so if you want to do a deep dive into the sight, be sure to start early and, prepare for a long distance hike over a wide area through pastures filled with wild flowers.

The doubled arched entrance of building number 31 is in amazing condition, and surprisingly intact, as the structure has for the most part escaped being relieved of its well cut stone blocks.

Though the blocks are not uniformly cut (meaning, the block sizes and shapes that make up the wall to the left of the entrance, do not match those of the wall to right of the entrance), they do fit together in a manner that offers a fine aesthetic. Bravo to the chief architect!

That said, the structure did not escape being used as dwelling, or perhaps as a safe haven from the elements by local goat herders. I say this, because the roof inside the arched entrance is covered with soot from heating and cooking fires (pictured below).

The stone framed window within the narthex in the photo below is very striking to me for some reason, and I guess this because of the high level of architectural finishing it shows.

There are signs that the surfaces were once plastered and painted in a simple white, and perhaps they offered some other basic designs and ornamentation, such as crosses.

Entering the church, the columns and arches separating the naos/nave and the left ambulatory still stands strong, and the outer wall beyond is also quite intact.

The dome of the apse is only partially intact, but I must say that of all the structures of the 'Upper City', this one should be marked for restoration.

As was the case with the altars in the churches discussed previously, the altar of this church also has post holes for the support of outer marble panels that would have formed a box. Unfortunately, I didn't check to see if there was an inscription on the base of this altar.

Turning my back on the altar and apse, pictured below is a view of the naos/nave of the church. As you can see, one series of arches is missing, however, the columns are still in place.

A massive stone relief of a cross can be seen leaning against one of the columns in the photo below. I can't say how such stone panels were used or where they would have been placed within the church, but I am curious.

In the bottom left of the photo below, you can see the upper half of a column toppled over. It appeared to me at the time I visited that most of the building members of this structure were still on site.

Photographed from afar, building 31 is very much intact (pictured below). I don't know if the roof of this church had a dome supported by columns, but it looks to me that the architectural design was based on the ancient Roman or Greek temple. Also, I am guessing that, this church would have had a wooden framed roof supported by the two rows of columns that run the length of its naos/nave.

I did not see any roof tiles on the site, but I wasn't't really looking for them as I should have been. Regardless, I will continue my curiosity into such Late-Roman Christian and Byzantine structures, and hopefully all this ignorance will be replaced with knowledge, and a deeper understanding of 5-9C CE architecture.

On the distant mountain peek of Karadag (upper right corner of the photo below), you can see the communication and weather towers. Somewhere up there is an inscription of Hittite hieroglyphs that identifies the surrounding area as 'Barmeta', probably from which the name 'Barata' is derived.

As you can see in the photo below, there are many ancient structures around the area that have collapsed. Some of these were dwellings, some chapels, or churches, and so on. All waiting to be explored and excavated.

The photo below is a close-up of the photo above. I didn't see a necropolis area with large numbers of sarcophagi while exploring the 'Upper City', but have since read that there is a slope with tombs and burial chambers.

One last photo of the 'Upper City' as I depart for the much more ancient site of Chatalhoyuk (a UNESCO listed site). So, we are left with an image of a massive Byzantine church, which I think is church number 31 (left of the photo below), and the memories of a very surprising site.