TÜRKIYE-ISTANBUL-CHURCH OF ST. POLYEUCTUS-ARCHAEOLOGISTS-HIDDEN BYZANTINE-ERA MARVELS

TÜRKIYE-ISTANBUL-CHURCH OF ST. POLYEUCTUS-ARCHAEOLOGISTS-HIDDEN BYZANTINE-ERA MARVELS

(240313) -- ISTANBUL, March 13, 2024 (Xinhua) -- The remains of the Church of St. Polyeuctus are seen at the Sarachane Archaeological Park in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Feb. 23, 2024. In the heart of Türkiye's Istanbul, once the capital of the Byzantine Empire, the 1,500-year-old Church of St. Polyeuctus lay buried beneath urban sprawl for nearly a millennium until its accidental discovery during the construction of an underpass. Inhabited for approximately 8,500 years, Istanbul has witnessed the erosion of much of its cultural heritage on its relentless march of urbanization, as illustrated by the plight of this Byzantine church. (Photo by Safar Rajabov/Xinhua) TO GO WITH Feature: Archaeologists long to further uncover hidden Byzantine-era marvels in Türkiye's Istanbul

TÜRKIYE-ISTANBUL-CHURCH OF ST. POLYEUCTUS-ARCHAEOLOGISTS-HIDDEN BYZANTINE-ERA MARVELS

TÜRKIYE-ISTANBUL-CHURCH OF ST. POLYEUCTUS-ARCHAEOLOGISTS-HIDDEN BYZANTINE-ERA MARVELS

(240313) -- ISTANBUL, March 13, 2024 (Xinhua) -- The remains of the Church of St. Polyeuctus are seen at the Sarachane Archaeological Park in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Feb. 23, 2024. In the heart of Türkiye's Istanbul, once the capital of the Byzantine Empire, the 1,500-year-old Church of St. Polyeuctus lay buried beneath urban sprawl for nearly a millennium until its accidental discovery during the construction of an underpass. Inhabited for approximately 8,500 years, Istanbul has witnessed the erosion of much of its cultural heritage on its relentless march of urbanization, as illustrated by the plight of this Byzantine church. (Photo by Safar Rajabov/Xinhua) TO GO WITH Feature: Archaeologists long to further uncover hidden Byzantine-era marvels in Türkiye's Istanbul

TÜRKIYE-ISTANBUL-CHURCH OF ST. POLYEUCTUS-ARCHAEOLOGISTS-HIDDEN BYZANTINE-ERA MARVELS

TÜRKIYE-ISTANBUL-CHURCH OF ST. POLYEUCTUS-ARCHAEOLOGISTS-HIDDEN BYZANTINE-ERA MARVELS

(240313) -- ISTANBUL, March 13, 2024 (Xinhua) -- The remains of the Church of St. Polyeuctus are seen at the Sarachane Archaeological Park in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Feb. 23, 2024. In the heart of Türkiye's Istanbul, once the capital of the Byzantine Empire, the 1,500-year-old Church of St. Polyeuctus lay buried beneath urban sprawl for nearly a millennium until its accidental discovery during the construction of an underpass. Inhabited for approximately 8,500 years, Istanbul has witnessed the erosion of much of its cultural heritage on its relentless march of urbanization, as illustrated by the plight of this Byzantine church. (Photo by Safar Rajabov/Xinhua) TO GO WITH Feature: Archaeologists long to further uncover hidden Byzantine-era marvels in Türkiye's Istanbul