- Ancient Chalcedon in Modern Kadıköy
- Reading the Ruins of Ancient Chalcedon
- Searching for St. Euphemia Basilica in Chalcedon
Most people pass over the ancient ruins of Chalcedon without realizing what lies below. I have never walked through the archaeological site myself, but anyone can look down from the main bridge in Kadıköy, on Istanbul’s Asian side, and see what archaeologists have uncovered. From that vantage point, sacred apsidal structures, marble floors, and massive column bases begin to emerge from the earth. At first glance, they look like scattered stones. Yet each one tells part of the story of an important city. So what do these discoveries actually reveal?
On observation, I am not sure what I am looking at, but I will give insights into what I have observed about the site. Most archeology sites cannot be observed, so seeing these ruins of Chalcedon in 2022, 2024, and now 2026 has given me snapshots of the progress in the area.
Mehmet Ali Polat, the chief archaeologist of the Haydarpaşa (Chalcedon) archaeological excavation, said in 2020: “We, as the Istanbul Archaeological Museum of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, started excavations here in 2018. The area is 350 acres, a large area. We started excavation work under the project of renovating the railway tracks and platforms. The oldest remains we obtained in the excavations are coins dating back to 2700 BC, that is, 4700 years ago. The earliest remains are building ruins from the Hellenistic period. Apart from that, the vast majority of the structures date back to the 4th and 6th centuries AD.”[1]https://arkeofili.com/haydarpasa-kazilarinda-toplu-mezar-ve-kilise-kesfedildi/ So, with this information, we can assume that what we are looking at is the city and location of Christian Chalcedon. Most of these ruins of Chalcedon’s lower structures evidence today would have been in the city when the council took place in 451 AD.
Sacred Circles
In the video above, I have focused a bit on the circles that stood out at the site. There is a northern circle, two in the middle (one northern, the other eastern area) and an oval on the south side. These places could be worship or memorial spaces, either Roman or Christian. Many hope that we will know what these places were in the future. Analyzing the ruins of Chalcedon Archeological site will be a long-term search but I hope not like Sarachane with St. Polyeuctus or the Byzantine Palace near Hagia Sophia, which have been decades of research with little public access or information.
Archaeologists exposed two pillar bases in the ruins of Chalcedon in 2020 near an oval circle I call the northern circle, which lies near marble flooring. All these aspects create curiosity about what lies in this neighborhood of the ancient city.
From Observation to Interpretation
The two marble bases almost certainly supported columns belonging to an important public or religious building. Their alignment suggests they marked an entrance or transitional space leading into a ceremonial hall, courtyard, or liturgical area. Because they have remained in situ since their discovery around 2020, they provide valuable clues for reconstructing the complex’s original layout. The two bases supported columns of a public or religious building. Most likely marking an entry area to a possible liturgical space or important hall. The fact that they have remained in situ since the excavations around 2020 makes them valuable for reconstructing the original plan.
Surrounding the apsidal structure are several rectangular rooms, suggesting that this was more than a simple burial site. These adjoining spaces may have served administrative, ceremonial, or gathering functions. The nearby marble pavement further emphasizes the building’s significance. Most streets and ordinary buildings in ancient Chalcedon likely featured earthen or simple stone surfaces, but builders used extensive marble flooring only for civic, religious, or commemorative structures. This complex lies immediately east of the basilica uncovered during the Haydarpaşa excavations (the Chalcedon archaeological site).
The Northern Apsidal Structure
The northern apsidal structure extends on a west-east axis, and the photograph shows its western wall from the east. Aerial imagery suggests it is a self-contained building with substantial surrounding walls, rather than simply a curved room within a larger structure. Such a plan could represent a funerary chapel, memorial shrine, or other ceremonial building.
One intriguing possibility is that the city’s founders or local heroes originally built the structure as a heroon, and later, people adapted it for Christian use. However, this remains speculative. More recent statements by excavation director Mehmet Ali Polat describe it as a single-apsed collective tomb (tek apsisli bir toplu mezar) with graves discovered beneath the marble pavement. He also notes that its long, narrow plan differs from the standard layout of Byzantine churches, suggesting that it served a specialized funerary or commemorative purpose rather than functioning as an ordinary basilica.
At present, the greatest uncertainty is chronology. The photographs alone do not reveal whether all of these structures belong to the same period. While many buildings uncovered at the ruins of Chalcedon, most date to the fourth through sixth centuries AD, archaeologists have also identified earlier Hellenistic and Roman phases beneath the Byzantine remains. As excavation continues, the relationship between the apsidal tomb, the marble pavement, and the surrounding rooms should become much clearer.
What the Excavation Reported
Mehmet Ali Polat said, which I believe is this area pictured, “The marble-paved area we are currently standing on is the last area we have reached, but the excavation is not yet complete. We will expand to the right and left. The base is paved with large marble slabs, and right in front of it is a mass grave with a single apse. The difference of this structure is that Byzantine-era church plans are already known. This one is somewhat different from them; it is a long, narrow structure with a single apse. We have identified graves under these marble slabs.”[2]https://arkeofili.com/haydarpasa-kazilarinda-toplu-mezar-ve-kilise-kesfedildi/ In this article, he also mentioned that over 37 skeletal remains and palace-like items were found in this area. So the mystery continues.
Polat’s observation that the building does not fit the standard Byzantine church plan. Yet, most likely a detail that distinguishes this discovery from the many other Byzantine sites in Asia Minor. Yet it remains to be seen whether the site moves more toward a non-Christian focus that will only honor the tracks laid upon these ancient ruins. If we follow the Chalcedon Archaeological site, new finds may emerge.
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