Alahan Monastery

Eastern Church

The Alahan Monastery is a one hour walking distance from the village of Alahan, located in the province of Mersin, Turkey. The site is being considered to be put on the World Heritage list of sites who have "outstanding universal value" to the world.

History

The Christian monastery at Alahan is located in the mountains of Isauria in Southern Asia Minor near Mut on the road between Karaman and Silifke. Altitude: 1250 m. with a splendid view over the valley of Göksu river. Constructed at the second half of the fifth century but already abandoned in the seventh century. Its remains include two churches, one (The East Church) is extremely well preserved, a baptistery, a colonnaded runway running the full length of the site, and a couple of subsidiary buildings, plus some old caves and graves. The complex may be funded by Emperor Zeno (474-491), who was from the region. The buildings stretches along the side of the mountain and covers an area of 30x200 meters. It is quite possible that the monastery official, and monks lived in the houses surrounding the complex. The monastery stands as the finest achievement of native Isaurian stonemasons and sculptors. Alahan is a key site in the history of early Byzantine architecture, half a century before the great achievements of Anicia Juliana and Justinian in Constantinople.

World Heritage Status

This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on February 25, 2000 in the Cultural category.

References

• Alahan Monastery - UNESCO World Heritage Centre Accessed 2009-02-25.

• Gough, M. (1985), Alahan: an early Christian monastery in southern Turkey : based on the work of Michael Gough, PIMS. ISBN 0-88844-073-1