Publication: Osmanlı Dönemi’nde yabancı arkeologlar tarafından babil harâbelerinde yürütülen kazı çalışmaları
Abstract
Arşiv belgelerinden hareket ederek yaptığımız araştırmamızda; Babil harâbelerinde, en büyük ve planlı kazıları Almanların yaptığını tespit ettik. Alman bilim adamları, özellikle Eduard Sachau ve Robert Koldewey tarafından 1899 yılında başlatılan kazı çalışmaları, 1917 yılında İngilizlerin bölgeyi işgaline kadar sürdü. Daha önce İngiliz ve Amerikalılar da Babil harâbelerinde kazı yapmışlar ancak Almanlar kadar ilerleyememişler ve önemli bir sonuç alamamışlardı. Alman araştırmacı ve devlet yetkilileri Osmanlı Devleti’nin içinde bulunduğu siyasi ve ekonomik sorunlardan, denetim yetersizliğinden istifade etmişler, kanun ve yönetmelik hükümlerinin âmir hükümlerinin aksine, çıkardıkları eserlerin çoğunluğunu ülkelerine taşımışlar, ancak az bir kısmını Müze-i Hümâyûn’a bağışlamışlardır. Tez çalışmasında; Osmanlı Devleti me’mûrlarının, özellikle de hafriyyât komiserlerinin Babil hafriyyâtı esnasında yerine getirdikleri gözetim ve denetim işleri üzerinde bilhassa duruldu. Babil harâbelerinde hafriyyât komiseri olarak adları geçen Bedri Bey ve Haydar Bey, Alman bilim adamlarıyla beraber kazının her anına tanıklık ettiler. Bu nedenle Arşiv belgelerinde yer alan ve konumuzla ilgisi ölçüsünde, hafriyyât komiserlerinin faaliyetleri, haklarında vâkî müspet veya menfî değerlendirmeler araştırmamızda yer aldı. Kazı çalışmaları ve çıkarılan eserler ile ilgili yabancı arkeologların icraatlarını, zamanın yürürlükte olan kanun ve nizâmnâmelerine göre değerlendirmemiz gerekir. Bunun için Osmanlı Devleti’nde eski eser nizâmnâmeleri de inceleme konusu yapılmıştır. İlki 1869 yılında olmak üzere 1874, 1884 ve en son olarak da 1906’da Âsâr-ı Atîka Nizâmnâmesi çıkarıldı. Özellikle 1906 tarihli Nizâmnâmenin hafriyyât ile ilgili hükümleri ayrıntılı incelendi. Son olarak; arşivlerde yer alan Babil Antik Şehri kaynaklı buluntular, eski eser kaçakçılığı gibi olaylardan ve kişilerden bahisle devletlerin faaliyetleri ortaya koyulmaya çalışılmıştır. Ayrıca; Babil’den çıkarılan eserlerin takip edilmesi, tuğlaların satımı, inşaatlarda kullanılması, kırık eserlerin birleştirilmek üzere Berlin Müzesine gönderilmesi gibi konular üzerinde de durulmuştur.
In our research based on archival documents; We found that the Germans carried out the largest and most planned excavations in the Babylonian ruins. The excavations started in 1899 by German scientists, especially Eduard Sachau and Robert Koldewey, continued until the British occupation of the area in 1917. Previously, the British and Americans had also excavated in the Babylonian ruins, they could not advance as much as the Germans and did not get any important results. German researchers and state officials took advantage of the political and economic problems of the Ottoman Empire, the lack of supervision, and, contrary to the prevailing provisions of the laws and regulations, they transported the majority of the works they produced to their countries, but they donated a small part of them to the Museum-i Humayun. The Ottoman State officials, especially the Excavation Commissioners, who performed the surveillance and inspection duties during the Babylonian excavations, took a great place in our research. Bedri Bey and Haydar Bey, who were named as the excavation commissioner in the Babylonian ruins, witnessed every moment of the excavation together with the German scientists. For this reason, the activities of the excavation commissioners and the actual, positive or negative evaluations about them in the archive documents and to the extent of their relevance to our subject were included in our research. We need to evaluate the activities of foreign archaeologists regarding the excavations and unearthed artifacts according to the laws and regulations in force at the time. For this, we also touched on the subject of ancient works regulations in the Ottoman Empire. The Âsâr-ı Atîka Regulation was issued in 1874, 1884, and lastly in 1906, the first of which was 1869. The provisions of the 1906 regulation on excavation were examined in detail. We tried to reveal the activities of individuals and states in the archives, such as the finds originating from the Ancient City of Babylon, the smuggling of antiquities. Here, we also covered topics such as following the artifacts unearthed from Babylon, selling the bricks, using them in construction, and sending the broken artifacts to the Berlin Museum to be put together.
In our research based on archival documents; We found that the Germans carried out the largest and most planned excavations in the Babylonian ruins. The excavations started in 1899 by German scientists, especially Eduard Sachau and Robert Koldewey, continued until the British occupation of the area in 1917. Previously, the British and Americans had also excavated in the Babylonian ruins, they could not advance as much as the Germans and did not get any important results. German researchers and state officials took advantage of the political and economic problems of the Ottoman Empire, the lack of supervision, and, contrary to the prevailing provisions of the laws and regulations, they transported the majority of the works they produced to their countries, but they donated a small part of them to the Museum-i Humayun. The Ottoman State officials, especially the Excavation Commissioners, who performed the surveillance and inspection duties during the Babylonian excavations, took a great place in our research. Bedri Bey and Haydar Bey, who were named as the excavation commissioner in the Babylonian ruins, witnessed every moment of the excavation together with the German scientists. For this reason, the activities of the excavation commissioners and the actual, positive or negative evaluations about them in the archive documents and to the extent of their relevance to our subject were included in our research. We need to evaluate the activities of foreign archaeologists regarding the excavations and unearthed artifacts according to the laws and regulations in force at the time. For this, we also touched on the subject of ancient works regulations in the Ottoman Empire. The Âsâr-ı Atîka Regulation was issued in 1874, 1884, and lastly in 1906, the first of which was 1869. The provisions of the 1906 regulation on excavation were examined in detail. We tried to reveal the activities of individuals and states in the archives, such as the finds originating from the Ancient City of Babylon, the smuggling of antiquities. Here, we also covered topics such as following the artifacts unearthed from Babylon, selling the bricks, using them in construction, and sending the broken artifacts to the Berlin Museum to be put together.