Alakent Church

The first book of Koç University's Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for Late Antique and Byzantine Studies (GABAM) was published in two separate volumes, in Turkish and English. The book, titled "Alakent Church. A Byzantine Structure in Myra (12th – 13th Centuries)," covers all stages from the excavation to the restoration of a Middle Byzantine church located 250 meters from the Roman-era theater of the ancient city of Myra, in Antalya's Demre district, between 2010 and 2013.

This small Byzantine church, located in the Alakent neighborhood of Demre, whose existence had long been known by archaeologists and art historians, was unearthed as a result of an excavation carried out within the scope of the Myra Andriake Excavations. The fact that the structure remained under 5 meters of alluvial fill for centuries allowed many elements, from wall paintings to roof tiles, from facade decorations to spolia, to be found in situ and in good condition.

The book, edited by Engin Akyürek, Director of GABAM and faculty member of Koç University's Department of Archaeology and History of Art, includes articles by Nevzat Çevik, head of the Myra Andriake Excavations, titled "The Story of the Excavation," Engin Akyürek's "Myra: Metropolis of Lycia," "Alakent Church: Its Location and Architecture" and "Evaluation," Ayça Tiryaki's "Architectural Plastic," Nilay Çorağan's "Wall Paintings," Özgü Çömezoğlu Uzbek's "Ceramic Finds" and "Tombs," Hüseyin Sami Öztürk and Christof Schuler's "Inscriptions," and Sebahattin Küçük's "Conservation Works."