Yenikapı Shipwrecks

The Yenikapı shipwrecks are a collection of 37 exceptionally well-preserved Byzantine-era vessels discovered beneath the modern Yenikapı neighbourhood of Istanbul, Turkey, during construction of the Marmaray rail tunnel between 2004 and 2013. The ships were found within the silted basin of Constantinople's Theodosian Harbour (Portus Theodosiacus), built by Emperor Theodosius I in the late 4th century AD on the shore of the Sea of Marmara. Waterlogged, anaerobic conditions within the harbour sediments preserved the wooden hulls, rigging, rope, and leather fittings to a remarkable degree, alongside thousands of artefacts including amphorae (some still sealed with cargo), anchors, coins, metalwork, and pottery. The vessels date from the 5th to the late 10th or early 11th century AD and represent a wide range of ship types: small fishing boats, coastal traders, large merchant roundships, and, crucially, the first Byzantine galleys (warships) ever identified archaeologically. In addition to the ships, excavations uncovered evidence of the earliest settlement in Istanbul, with finds including animal remains, amphorae, and human skulls dating to approximately 6000 BC. The Yenikapı shipwrecks constitute the largest single collection of medieval ships ever recovered from one site. Research, documentation, and conservation are led jointly by the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, Istanbul University, and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA), with conservation of selected hulls carried out at INA's Bodrum Research Center. A future site museum is planned to display the conserved vessels in Istanbul.