A historical structure believed to belong to the Byzantine era has been unearthed from beneath a restaurant in the northwestern Turkish province of Edirne.

The discovery was made by units from the Edirne Regional Directorate of Protection of Cultural Assets in the Zindanaltı neighbourhood of Kaleiçi.

A preliminary examination revealed that the vaulted structure is made out of Khorasan mortar (mortars containing brick or tile powder and lime) and the height of its entrance through controlled doorways points to it most likely being a dungeon.

The purpose of the structure and the exact period in which it was built will be determined at the end of a full-scale examination.

Further research will also reveal whether the structure, which is located near the historic walls of the city, has any connection with other Byzantine buildings via tunnels.

Originally called Orestias, the city was renamed Hadrianapolis after the Roman Emperor Hadrian and served as the capital of the Roman province of Thrace. Following it capture by the Ottomans in around 1369, the city was renamed Erdine and served as the third capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1369 to the sack of Constantinople in 1453.