1000-year-old palace kitchen discovered in Harput Castle

The kitchen, located in the Sarayonu section of the castle, was used to prepare food and bread for the castle administrators and leaders of the time.

The kitchen was excavated by Prof. Dr. İsmail Aytac and his team. The team found eight tandoori and glazed platters, pots, and catapult cannon balls in the kitchen.

Aytac, the excavation director, said the kitchen was estimated to have been in operation until the 1860s when the castle was abandoned.

"We estimate the kitchen section of Harput Castle is about 1,000 years old," Aytac said, adding, "We have received pots and pans and finds here from the late Byzantine period to the Artuqid, Seljuk and Ottoman principalities. We assume this kitchen operated until the 1860s when the castle was abandoned. We have identified eight tandoors and two ashtrays, including some intertwined tandoors. There are also small and cattle bones among the finds".

The kitchen is an important discovery as it provides an insight into the culinary culture of Harput Castle during the Middle Ages. The findings in the kitchen also provide evidence of the trade and cultural exchanges that took place in the region during this period.