Hıdırlık Tower (Maiden’s Tower, Deliktaş)
| Name of the Structure | Hıdırlık Tower (Maiden’s Tower, Deliktaş) |
| Category | The monument is thought to have been erected as a tomb, and during the Late Roman to Early Byzantine period, it was integrated into the city’s defensive system, serving a dual function as a tower. |
| Period | Roman Imperial (The structure was initially utilized by the Roman Empire and later repurposed as a defensive wall. During the Ottoman Period, it served the purpose of maritime surveillance.) |
| Current Condition | The structure stands robustly; it is a registered monumental structure, and excavation activities persist in its surrounding area. |
| Construction Date | The exact date of its construction is uncertain; however, researchers predominantly focus on the late 1st and 2nd centuries AD. |
| Location / Address | It should belong to a Roman consul (M. Calpurnius Rufus? or M. Petronius Umbrinus?) |
| Yer / Adres | Kılınçarslan, Hıdırlık Sk. No:50, 07100 Muratpaşa/Antalya |
The building has an almost square lower floor and a cylindrical superstructure. The main entrance is on the northeast façade facing Kaleiçi. There are doors in the center of both the lower and upper floors of this façade. Six fasces (symbolic objects carried by lictors in Rome) reliefs can be observed on either side of the lower door. Through this door, a four-step staircase made of large blocks leads to a dromos-like corridor and from there to the main space of the building, also defined as the burial chamber. The crenels in the three large niches in this space allow daylight into the building.
Made of well-preserved stone blocks, the cylindrical upper floor is positioned in the center of the base on the lower floor. A tall, square-shaped pedestal, believed to accommodate a statue of the deceased, is positioned in the center of the top floor. The blocked door on the northwest façade once provided access to the top floor. Access to the top floor is currently possible through an opening in the main hall on the lower floor that leads to the top of the pedestal with a stone staircase of 30 steps.
The sturdy tower was included in the city’s defense system and integrated with the fortification walls during the Byzantine Period. It served as a pavilion during the Seljuk Period and a military warehouse during the Ottoman Period. It was also used as a watchtower for observing naval traffic in the Gulf of Antalya.
Referans
K. G. von Lanckoronski, Städte Pamphyliens und Pisidiens I. Pamphylien, 1890, 11 ve 25 vd.
B. Goetze, Das Rundgrab in Falerii, 1939, 16, dn. 78.
W. Sydow, “Ein Rundmonument in Pietrabbondante,” RömMitt 84, 1977, 296.
R. Stupperich, “Das Grab eines Konsularen in Attaleia,” Istanbuler Mitteilungen 41, 1991, 417-422.
A. R. Birley – W. Eck, “M. Petronius Umbrinus. Legat von Cilicia, nicht von Pamphylia,” EA 21, 1993, 45-54.
T.C. Antalya Valiliği, Antalya Kültür Envanteri (Merkez), Antalya 2003, 32.
H. Hellenkemper – F. Hild, Tabula Imperii Byzantini 8: Lykien und Pamphylien, Denkschriften der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften Philosophisch-Historische Klasse, Denkschriften 320, Viyana 2004, 322.
Ş. Alp, Hıdırlık Kulesi: Antalya’da Bir Anıt Mezar. Arkeolojisi, Rölöve-Restitüsyon-Restorasyon Projeleri. Yayımlanmamış Yüksek Lisans Tezi. Akdeniz Üniversitesi, Antalya 2005.