Abdülmecid Han Fountain and Cistern and the Inscription of the Halid Ağa Fountain, Unearthed in Haydarpasha

Abstract

In 1839, the name of the Halid Ağa Fountain, which was restored by Sultan Abdülmecid, was changed into Abdülmecid Han Fountain. It was moved to its current location in Haydarpasha in 1902 and over the time the fountain remained below the road level . In the area of Haydarpaşa Train Station, “Haydarpasha Train Station Archaeological Excavations” was started in 2018 under the supervision of Istanbul Archeology Museums, within the scope of “Marmaray Project Gebze-Halkalı Suburban Line Improvement”. During the excavations, the Halid Ağa Fountain Inscription was found in the place before the fountain was moved. During the construction of the Tıbbiye Bridge G1 pillar, Abdülmecid Han Fountain and Cistern were unearthed from its current location in Haydarpaşa. Thanks to all these works, which were brought to light, were brought back to the urban fabric as a cultural heritage. The contribution of this study to the literature is to identify all the changes that the fountain has undergone from the date of its construction to the present day, with documents and maps. The fountain was compared with its contemporary examples in terms of ornamental details, its size, and the structural features were defined and data were created for researchers. Conservation problems were evaluated with the re-discovery of the fountain, which lost its function over time.