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THE
ALEXANDER SARCOPHAGUS
One
of the world's unparalleled masterpieces is the Alexander
Sarcophagus which has been on exhibit in Istanbul Archaeological
Museum for 87 years. It is to Istanbul Archaeological Museum
what the Mona Lisa is to the Louvre or the decorated Sarcophagus
of Cleopatra to the British Museum.
The discovery of this masterpiece of art which was made
at the beginning of the fourth century BC is an interesting
story: The well known painter and scholar Osman Hamdi Bey
was appointed as Director of Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
He first organized Turkish museum studies by having an Antiquities
Act passed which made it illegal for antiquities to be smuggled
out of the country. After that he carried out archaeological
excavations in previously unknown historical centers in
the Ottoman Empire. He uncovered large statues dating from
the Komagene Kingdom during excavations at Emerald Mountain
near Adiyaman for example. In 1887 he received news that
there were certain works of antiquity buried near Sayda,
which is today part of the Lebanon. A farmer called Serif
in Sayda had come across a grave room while he was ploughing
his field. When the soil had been removed from over the
door of the room he saw that it contained several marble
sarcophagi and he notified the authorities, who sent a telegraph
to Istanbul. Upon hearing the news Osman Hamdi Bey left
for Sayda and began excavating. The site turned out to be
an underground necropolis of the Phrygian Kings. Within
a few months more than twenty stone and marble sarcophagi
were removed from the grave rooms, among them those of Alexander
and the Weeping Women.
 Now
the sarcophagi were above ground but the problem did not
end there. To transport these works, weighing tons, to Istanbul
without damage was a still greater problem. No ship would
take the responsibility of carrying these works which were
as heavy as they were valuable. However in the end agreement
was reached with a cargo ship. As the Alexander Sarcophagus
was winched onto the ship Osman Hamdi Bey tied himself to
the sarcophagus too to prevent any harm coming to it.
The
sarcophagi got to Istanbul safe and sound and were exhibited
in the museum, where all of Istanbul came rushing to see
them. Taking advantage of this widespread interest Osman
Hamdi Bey proposed to the Ottoman Sultan that a modern museum
building be constructed. The Sultan agreed and in 1891 this
new building, which houses the Archaeological Museum today,
was completed, and the sarcophagi placed in this museum.
The Alexander Sarcophagus is in the form of a temple, constructed
of marble and 2.12 m. high, 3.18 m. long and 1.67 m. wide.
.On its two long sides are bas-reliefs depicting Alexander's
wars with the Persians, which is the reason why it was named
the Alexander Sarcophagus. Experts say that it is not actually
that of Alexander.
As you know the Macedonian King Alexandra the Great became
ill while on the shore of the Indus river and went back
to his palace in Babylon. He died in Babylon on June 13,
323 BC. His body was taken to Alexandria in Egypt and there
buried. However the Alexander Sarcophagus was constructed
in the fourth century either during his lifetime or just
after his death.
One of the long sides of the sarcophagus depicts Alexandra
on a rearing horse, with a lion skin on his shoulders. He
has a lance in his hand and is preparing to throw it at
one of the Persian cavalry. The other long side depicts
Alexander as a young warrior carrying the symbol of kingship.
All four faces of the sarcophagus are filled with a mythological
depiction of Alexander's bloody battles with the Persian
army. The pointed roof of the sarcophagus is also decorated
with bas-reliefs which were originally painted, but the
paint has worn off except for a few scattered traces.
Various stories are told about the Alexander Sarcophagi.
For example it is said that when the German Emperor Wilhelm
II visited Istanbul he asked the sultan for this sarcophagus.
When the sultan asked Osman Harndi Bey what the thought
of this idea, Osman Hamdi Bey was outraged:
— This sarcophagus is worth a nation in itself, he
replied. I do not suppose that my Sultan wishes to present
one of his nations to an emperor, if such a thing happens
decree that it should be dragged away over my body.
This reply ensured that the sarcophagus stayed in its place.
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