| Type: | neighbourhood |
| Province: | Şanlıurfa |
| District: | Birecik |
| Akarçay | |
| Population Total: | 611 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Coordinates: | 36.9192°N 38.0269°W |
Akarçay is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Birecik, Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey.[1] Its population is 611 (2022).[2] It has a number of archaeological sites in the vicinity.[3]
Akarçay is located by the Euphrates, along a seasonal stream that dries up in the summer.[4] The Birecik Dam and Karkamış Dam are both located nearby.[4] The prevailing climate is a semiarid Mediterranean climate with dry summers and most rainfall happening in winter.[4] Botanically, Akarçay is located in a transitional zone between the Irano-Turanian Region and the Mediterranean Region, with the Irano-Turanian flora predominating.[4] The plant cover is characteristic of steppe regions; members of the Asteraceae family.[4]
Some plants documented in Akarçay's immediate surroundings include the flowering plants Ixiolirion tataricum,[4] Eminium rauwolffii,[4] Scutellaria orientalis,[4] Moluccella laevis,[4] Verbascum kotschyi,[4] Heliotropium bovei,[4] Anagallis arvensis,[4] Rhagadiolus hamosus,[4] Hedypnois cretica,[4] Catananche lutea,[4] Centaurea iberica,[4] Sedum caespitosum,[4] and Potentilla reptans,[4] Ranunculus asiaticus,[4] Ranunculus damascenus,[4] Ranunculus ficaria,[4] Adonis flammea,[4] Papaver syriacum,[4] Papaver argemone,[4] Fumaria officinalis,[4] Thlaspi perfoliatum,[4] Isatis lusitanicus,[4] Descurainia sophia,[4] Minuartia decipiens,[4] Dianthus strictus,[4] Silene chaetodonta,[4] Gypsophila ruscifola,[4] Gypsophila antari,[4] and Chenopodium album.[4] Also in the category of flowering plants are several wild legumes such as Trigonella mesopotamica (related to fenugreek),[4] lens orientalis (a type of lentil,[4] and Astragalus russellii.[4] There are also various grasses such as Melica persica,[4] Cynodon dactylon,[4] and Hordeum marinum;[4]
Akarçay Tepe is a small, flattish, oval-shaped mound located west of the village.[3] Along with nearby Mezraa Teleilat, it is one of the oldest known settlements in the Euphrates basin.[3] It was first identified in 1989 by a team led by G. Algaze, who found Paleolithic flint tips and drill bits were found before any excavation took place.[3] In 1998, a team led by Nur Balkan-Atlı surveyed the site; they then began excavation in 1999.[3] In 2001, M. Özdoğan and N. Karul conducted further research at Akarçay Tepe and dated various artifacts found here to the Ubaid period, Late Chalcolithic, Iron Age, Neolithic, Pottery Neolithic, and Pre-Pottery Neolithic.[3]
The tepe consists of 7 layers, with the top being a "mixed" layer and the others being numbered Phase I through VI.[3] The youngest and uppermost layer, Phase I, has been radiocarbon dated to 6225–6015 BCE, in the Copper Age.[3] Below it is Phase II, which is dated to 6455–6200 BCE, spanning the end of the Pottery Neolithic up to the beginning of the Halaf period in the early Chalcolithic.[3] Phase III is a "transitional" phase dated to 7185–6515 BCE.[3] Below it is Phase IV, which is dated to 7595–7145 BCE, in the terminal Pottery Neolithic.[3] Phase V is dated to 7940–7610 BCE, in the late Pottery Neolithic.[3] Phase VI, the bottom layer, has not been radiocarbon dated but is estimated to belong to the middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic.[3]
Another site, known as Akarçaytepe 2, is located 250 m northeast of Akarçay Tepe, on both sides of the Su Dere.[3] This is 300 m north of Akarçay village.[3] It was first identified by G. Algaze's team in 1989, who identified finds from the Ubaid and Uruk periods of the Chalcolithic, along with the Middle Bronze Age.[3]
Akarçay Höyük is a medium-sized mound, measuring 180×160 m, located 900 m south of Akarçay village.[3] In Algaze's team's 1989 survey, pottery shards from the Early and Middle Bronze Age, Hellenistic period, Roman period, and Byzantine period were found here.[3] Salvage excavations were conducted in 1998 under Y. Mergen and A. Deveci, and these excavations uncovered Early Bronze Age "metallic ceramics" samples, similar to ones found at Hayaz and Samsat.[3] Then in 2001 a team led by M. Özdoğan and N. Karul uncovered Late Neolithic, Late Chalcolithic, and Byzantine-era artifacts.[3] There is also a 13th–14th century CE cemetery at the site.[5]