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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Asma Kaya Mezari |
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Type:
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Rock-cut Tomb |
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Altitude:
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m |
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Region:
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Eastern Anatolia |
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Province:
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Igdir |
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District:
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Merkez |
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Village:
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Asma |
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Investigation Method:
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Survey |
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Period:
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Middle Iron Age |
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| It lies on a elevation in the Asma Village, 33 km southeast of Igdir. Recently, a rock grave was exposed as a result of landslide here. The villagers cleaned the rock grave and converted it into a mosque. With the construction of a new mosque, it was called "Eski Camii" (former mosque) by the villagers. The entrance of the rock grave was closed by a metal gate. The anterior of the grave chamber was arranged in later period. However, majority of this part was lost due to landslide. The rock grave is accessed by a gate of 0.94x1.93 m. The part considered to be a hall is 2.20 m. In the hall there are two niches (62-68 cm wide) on the northeastern wall and three niches (105-83-56 cm wide) on the southwestern wall. The third niche (56x47 cm) is smaller, and corresreservoirs to the interior part of the western chamber. However, the two other niches are almost opposed to the ones on the northeastern wall. The second niche on this wall was enlarged, and used as mihrab of the mosque. The hall is followed by two chambers with no entrance to the northwest. There is a 47 cm wide division which separates these two chambers and enlarges forward. The east chamber is shorter than the western one. There is a bench of 2.13x0.55x1.42 m, which starts at a height of 10 cm, in front of the northern wall of the east room. The eastern chamber has a rectangular plan with an oval northern wall. The northern wall is 5.60 m long from the entrance and the eastern chamber is 2.53 m wide. On the upper part of the walls in the hall of the rock grave, a 75 cm deep cavity was formed by carving into the rock from end to end. Architectural analysis yielded no archaeological data as the rock grave is left in the middle of the village settlement. Architecturally it bears characteristics similar to the grave structures of the Iron Age. Thus, it is dated to the Iron Age. However, architectural and structural differences are observed between the rock chambers carved in the higher rocky area, 2.5 km southwest of the village and these rock graves. It appears that the area had been inhabited following the Iron Age. It seems that it had been inhabited in later periods. Available resources indicate that this region was under the Urartian domination during the Middle Iron Age. It is consistent with other rock graves in the region near many fortresses, settlements and particularly Urartian graves at Melekli. It is noted that the interior architecture of the Asma rock grave was not so elaborate, and it underwent several modifications during the period it was used as a mosque. |
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