Runic inscription found at Binbir Church site
A runic inscription carved into a rock at the historic Binbir Church (Thousand and One Church) archaeological site on Karadağ Mount in the central province of Karaman may represent the tamga (tribal emblem) of an early Turkic group, according to researchers carrying out fieldwork in the region.
The discovery was made during the third season of surface surveys led by Associate Professor İlker Mete Mimiroğlu, head of the Early Christian and Byzantine Arts Department at Necmettin Erbakan University.
The Binbir Church complex, located on the slopes of the extinct Karadağ volcano in central Türkiye, is one of the country’s most significant Early Christian settlements, known for its dense concentration of churches, chapels and Byzantine-era structures.
Researchers said the architectural remains indicate the settlement played both military and religious roles. An 11th-century church built on a closed Greek cross plan also suggests the area remained in active use through the Middle Byzantine period and into the era surrounding the Seljuk expansion.
