Abstract:

Abstract enThe Marmaray Project Yenikapı Archeological Excavation works which had been given a start on 27.11.2004 by the General Directorate of Istanbul Archeological Museums covers an area of 58 thousand, running from Mustafa Kemal Avenue in the east going down to Davut Pasha Bath in the west, down to Sirkeci-Halkalı train station in the south and down to Istanbul Subway Station area and Pervanedede Street in the north.Yenikapı Marmaray excavation site, a prominent port area in the Byzantine era, was filled up by alluvions and wastes carried there by Lykos (Bayrampaşa) brook at that time. On these fill-in layers used as Langa (Vlanga) cucumber growing fields in the Ottoman era, numerous ceramic objects (pottery) traced back to that time have come to light to date.In my article titled “Ottoman Ceramics Tracked Down from Yenikapı Excavations as Part of Marmaray Project (15th-17th Centuries)”; I have presented 40 ceramic objects. I divided these objects into sub-groups depending on their making and ornamenting techniques based on red and white pulp colors as well as on their styling periods. I addressed the red-pulped Iznik ceramics in seven different groups as primer (slip) painting, Milet style, scraping (sgraffito/champleve), colored under-glazing painting, single-color glazing, printing technique and unglazed ceramics. I addressed white-pulped Iznik ceramics in three different groups as “Blue-white”, “Damascus Style” (three-colored) and “ Rhodes Style” (multi-colored). Apart from defining their container (pottery) forms, I have also gone through these objects as regards their similarities and differences vis-a-vis other ceramics originated from other areas.Among the Ottoman ceramics unveiled during Yenikapı excavation, it is seen that, apart from red-pulped ceramics made for day to day use of the people, white-pulped ceramics made for the elite consumers desiring to enjoy a high-quality objects under the auspices of the Palace have also been made during the same period. The fact that ceramic groups made for different circles of people are found next to each other is significant as it points to the production diversity of motifs, techniques and container forms used in Iznik workshops.In this study also dealing examples of ceramic objects found in said excavation area, yet made in Iznik, I also present many studies not published before. Thus, new examples are added to studies carried out with respect to Iznik ceramics of the 15th-17th centuries

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