Nora and Istanbul

“A lieu de mémoire is any significant entity, whether material or non-material in nature, which by dint of human will or the work of time has become a symbolic element of the memorial heritage of any community.“ -Pierre Nora "Lieux de Mémoire"

The Theodosian Harbor was long buried under sand, water, and land by Istanbul's harbor and Bosphorus Strait. It was known to have other names during the Byzantine Empire, such as the Eleutherius harbour and the Kaisarios Harbour. Though for centuries, the Theodosian Harbor has been hidden from Turkish memory, the recent discovery of it during an excavation to make a rail system and a Eurasia tunnel quickly led it to become an icon of Turkish heritage. The imperial and powerful significance, and subsequent preservation following discovery, that time has created cements the Theodosian Harbor which is still being fully excavated in 2016 to become a lieu de memoire in symbolizing Istanbul's peak as a trading city in a great empire. 

The history of the Theodosian Harbor that will be explored starts from its creation in the 4th century AD by the Emperor Theodosius I, and follows it through its journey into deterioration where the created port became filled with silt, and disappeared into the history books. Before the harbor was gone from view, it in the 7th and 8th century where numerous ships populated the Theodosian Harbor (during the initial excavation the archaeologists found 34), to the 11th century where Istanbul and the Mediterranean went from shell-based to skeleton-based shipbuilding. To more modern times, in 2004, digging began in the Theodosian Harbor area of the Bosphorus Strait with the intention of building a link between Asia and Europe, as well as a subway tunnel to ease traffic in Istanbul itself. In late 2004-2005, the Theodosian Harbor was discovered and reappeared into Turkish history. Lastly, in 2013 the Marmaray subway station opened and December 20th, 2016 is set to be the opening date for the Eurasia Tunnel. 

 

 

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