Cultural HeritageofTurkey

November 2014,Istanbul

The English word «Turkish» or «Turkey» comes from the ancient Turkish word «Turk». It’s not

related to the animal Turkey. However when Europeans first encountered turkeys in America,

they incorrectly identified the birds as a type of guineafowl. Guineafowl were also known as

turkey fowl because they were imported to Central Europe through Turkey.

After the clarification of any misconception on the name of Turkey, we can come to our main

topic of cultural heritage.

Turkey has been inhabited since the Paleolithic age, including various

Ancient Anatolian civilizations, Aeolian, and Ionian Greeks, Thracians

and Persians. After Alexander the Great’s conquest, the area was

Hellenized and then transformed to Byzantine Empire by Roman’s.

Seljuk Turks migrated to the are started the process of Turkification

until the Mongol Invasion. After the Mongol invasion area was

disintegrated into several small Turkish beyliks fighting each other until

one of them(Osmanoğulları) subdue all of them and plant the seeds of

the Ottoman Empire.

This ancient history provided Turkey a great cultural

heritage from music to literature or painting. However if all

of the World’s cultural heritage was contained in a time

capsule, I would include architecture and archeological sites

from Turkey.

There are 13 sites in Turkey which are on the World

Heritage list of UNESCO. Locations of the World Heritage

Sites in Turkey defined by UNESCO are given on the below

map. We can see that sites are dispersed all around Turkey.

There are much more to see in Turkey but i would like to go

through the UNESCO list for this presentation.

Cappadocia is located within a volcanic landscape sculpted by

erosion in Göreme, Nevşehir.

Ancient volcanic eruptions blanketed this region with thick ash,

which solidified into a soft rock—called tuff—tens of meters thick.

Wind and water went to work on this plateau, leaving only its

harder elements behind to form a fairy tale landscape of cones,

pillars, pinnacles, mushrooms, and chimneys, which stretch as far

as 130 feet (40 meters) into the sky.

Göreme was inhabited as early as the Hittite era, circa 1800 to

1200 B.C. and later sat uncomfortably on the boundary between

rival empires; first the Greeks and Persians and later the Byzantine

Greeks and a host of rivals. This precarious political position meant

that residents needed hiding places—and found them by

tunneling into the rock itself.

The first Turkish building inscribed to UNESCO's World Heritage List, the

Great Mosque and Hospital of Divrigi was built in the 13th century by

Ahmed Shah and his wife Mellke Turan of the Principality of Mengucek.

Designed by the architect Hurrem Shah, of Ahlat, in 1288, the Great

Mosque of Divrigi is renowned for Its monumental architecture, its

hexagonal dome, and its unique stone carving decorations.

Its portals appear to have borrowed from Baroque, Seljuk and Gothic

styles, but nevertheless represent a unique and distinct style of their

own. All figures carved on the portals and on the walls were asymmetrical

and each square has thousands of stone carved figures. The main

characteristic of the designs featured In the portals is their uniqueness:

each is distinct from other decorations. For example, the wreath of life

used on the portal on the North fagade Is noteworthy since It depicts a

totally imaginary plant world that only existed in the imagination of the

craftsman. Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital is located in Sivas.

The historical areas of Istanbul, which has been the capital of three

great empires, were inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List in

1985.

Istanbul is a holy city, where mosques, churches and synagogues live

side by side, and even declare their fraternity. Istanbul Is also

renowned for its palaces, mansions and monumental buildings - each a

unique example of architectural styles that were inherited from the

Ottomans. Dolmabahce Palace, Tophane Mosque, Galata Tower

(Christea Turris), built by the Genoese, Sultanahmet Mosque, Ayasofya

(Hagia Sophia), one of the monumental buildings of Christianity, the

unique mosaics of Ayasofya, Topkapi Palace, the administrative centre

of the Ottoman Empire, rising high above the Golden Horn

Suleymaniye Mosque, the masterpiece of Imperial architect Mimar

Slnan, the historical Kapali Carsl (the Grand Bazaar), Yerebatan Sarnici

(the Basilica Cistern), the music dancing at the domes of Aya Irini

(Hagia Eirene), make Istanbul the capital of history and culture.

Hattusas was the capital of the Hittite empire in the 2nd millenium BCE. The city

was located on a mountain slope at the southern end of a small fertile plain. It

seems surprising that such a remote city could have been the capital of an

empire, but besides tradition there were the factors of plentiful water and good

natural defenses that kept the Hittite kings there. The first settlement at the site

dates from the Early Bronze Age, but no documents exist that could identify the

people who built them. They lived on the top and northwest foot of the high hill

which dominates the east side of the city, called Büyükkale ("Great Fortress").

This hill later became the Hittite Acropolis.

Hattusha was an ancient city when the Hittite king Anitta conquered it and made

it his capital in the mid-18th century BC; the emperor Hattusili III expanded the

city between 1265 and 1235 BC, before it was destroyed at the end of the Hittite

era about 1200 BC. Following the collapse of the Hittite Empire, Hattusha was

occupied by Phrygians, but in the provinces of northwestern Syria and

southeastern Anatolia, the Neo-Hittite city states emerged. It is these Iron Age

kingdoms that are mentioned in the Hebrew bible.

Antiochus I, an Armenian king whose lineage connected him to the Seleucids,

Ptolemies, and Macedonians, ruled the small territory of Commagene in Asia

Minor in the 1st century B.C. In 64 B.C., Commagene became a Roman province

when Antiochus reached a peaceful agreement with Pompey, who had just

conquered Syria. Five years later the Roman Senate recognized Antiochus as a

friend of the state, awarding him the Toga Praetexta. Antiochus maintained

contact with the Roman Empire throughout his reign, even supplying soldiers to

Pompey during his conflict with Julius Caesar. For his mortuary complex,

Antiochus ordered the assembly of a mountain of crushed rock, reaching 50

meters into the air. Master sculptors carved a monumental scene of the king

seated among the gods, including Greco-Roman deities such as Zeus, Apollo, and

Heracles. Over the centuries, the colossal statues, each over 9 meters tall, have

been damaged by earthquakes and their stone heads have been sent rolling

down the hillside. King Antiochus’ burial complex, now known as Mount Nemrut

Archaeological Site (located in Adiyaman), was first rediscovered in 1881, but

archaeological activity only began in 1953. Since the start of excavation, most of

the heads have been found, in addition to temples, bas reliefs, and inscriptions.

Hierapolis (located in Pamukkale, Denizli), whose name means "sacred

city," was believed by the ancients to have been founded by the god

Apollo. It was famed for its sacred hot springs, whose vapors were

associated with Pluto, god of the underworld. The city also had a

significant Jewish community and was mentioned by Paul in his Letter to

Colossians.

Today, Hierapolis is a World Heritage Site and popular tourist destination.

In addition to interesting Classical ruins, the site offers a thermal Sacred

Pool in which you can swim with ancient artifacts, a view of the

spectacular white terraces of Pamukkale, and a good museum.

Xanthos, the capital of ancient Lycia, and the neighbouring and indissociable

site of Letoon located 8km away form a famous archaeological complex.

The Lycians were one of the 'Sea Peoples' who invaded the Hittite Empire

around 1200 BC. Herodotus relates that they came from Crete to take part in

the Trojan War. Throughout its long history, this ethnic group displayed two

apparently contradictory characteristics. In the first place they were extremely

loyal to their traditions: the Lycian language was preserved over a very long

period. Even today the farmers of the region build wooden houses and barns

whose structure is comparable to the monuments found in the Lycian rock art

tombs. Their second characteristic is their capacity to assimilate the cultural

contributions of Hellenism and those of Rome. The town was still inhabited in

the Byzantine period when several basilicas were built; it was only in the 7th

century that the Arab raids left the town in ruins.

A long and complex history has left many splendid but at times hard to

distinguish remains on the two neighbouring sites of Xanthos and Letoon.

Once a city of Roman Province of "Paphlagonia", Safranbolu has hosted many

civilizations including the Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman Empires

throughout its history. During the Ottoman era the town served as an

important junction on the Kastamonu - Gerede - Istanbul route of the famous

silk road. Safranbolu was at the same time a popular residence for Ottoman

Royalty close to the Sultan and Grand Viziers .

The city received its name from the saffron which is native in Safranbolu. The

powder obtained from its flower is a very strong dye. Used in very small

quantities, saffron adds a delicate flavor, distinct aroma and a very unique

color to deserts and other food in the Turkish Cuisine . It is also used for some

Turkish carpets as a unique dye. Also unique in Safranbolu is the famous

Çavus grapes with its extremely thin skin and sweet flavor

Safranbolu displays its extremely rich historical and cultural heritage through

1008 architectural structures displaying a good example of Turkish

architecture , all preserved in their original environment.

The name Troy refers both to a place in legend and a real-life

archaeological site. In legend, Troy is a city that was besieged for 10

years and eventually conquered by a Greek army led by King

Agamemnon. The reason for this “Trojan War” was, according to

Homer’s "Iliad," the abduction of Helen, a queen from Sparta. This

abduction was done by Paris, the son of Troy’s King Priam.

Throughout the "Iliad" the gods constantly intervene in support of

characters on both sides of the conflict.

Troy also refers to a real-life ancient city located on the northwest

coast of Turkey which, since antiquity, has been identified by many

as being the Troy discussed in the legend. Whether the Trojan War

actually took place, and whether the site in northwest Turkey is the

same Troy, is a matter of debate. The modern-day Turkish name for

the site is Hisarlik.

The Selimiye Mosque is an Ottoman mosque, which is located in the city

of Edirne, Turkey. The mosque was built by an architect named Mimar

Sinan between 1569 and 1575. It was considered by Sinan to be his

masterpiece and is one of the highest achievements of Islamic

architecture. While conventional mosques were limited by a segmented

interior, Sinan's effort at Edirne was a structure that made it possible to

see the mihrab from any location within the mosque.

Surrounded by four tall minarets, the Mosque of Selim II has a grand dome atop it. Around the rest of the mosque

were many additions:libraries, schools, hospices, baths, soup kitchens for the poor, markets, hospitals, and

a cemetary. These annexes were aligned axially and grouped, if possible. In front of the mosque sits a

rectangular court with an area equal to that of the mosque. The innovation however, comes not in the size of the

building, but from the organization of its interior. The mihrab is pushed back into an apse-like alcove with a space

with enough depth to allow for window illumination from three sides. This has the effect of making the tile panels

of its lower walls sparkle with natural light. The amalgamation of the main hall forms a fused octagon with the

dome-covered square. Formed by eight massive dome supports, the octagon is pierced by four half dome

covered corners of the square. The beauty resulting from the conformity of geometric shapes engulfed in each

other was the culmination of Sinan's lifelong search for a unified interior space.

Two hills form the 37 ha site on the Southern Anatolian Plateau.

The taller eastern mound contains eighteen levels of Neolithic

occupation between 7400 bc and 6200 bc, including wall

paintings, reliefs, sculptures and other symbolic and artistic

features. Together they testify to the evolution of social

organization and cultural practices as humans adapted to a

sedentary life. The western mound shows the evolution of

cultural practices in the Chalcolithic period, from 6200 bc to

5200 bc. Çatalhöyük provides important evidence of the

transition from settled villages to urban agglomeration, which

was maintained in the same location for over 2,000 years. It

features a unique streetless settlement of houses clustered back

to back with roof access into the buildings.

Cumalıkızık is a serial nomination of eight component sites in

the City of Bursa and the nearby village of Cumalıkızık, in the

southern Marmara region. The site illustrates the creation of

an urban and rural system establishing the Ottoman Empire in

the early 14th century. The property embodies the key

functions of the social and economic organization of the new

capital which evolved around a civic centre. These include

commercial districts of khans, kulliyes (religious institutions)

integrating mosques, religious schools, public baths and a

kitchen for the poor, as well as the tomb of Orhan Ghazi,

founder of the Ottoman dynasty. One component outside the

historic centre of Bursa is the village of Cumalıkızık, the only

rural village of this system to show the provision of hinterland

support for the capital..

Pergamon is founded in the county of Bergama (Izmir), where the Aegean and

Anatolia regions come together. Pergamon’s ancient riches include many

architectural structures such as a temple dedicated to the Greek goddess

Athena, revered as the protector of the city. The first settlements in Pergamon

are known to date back as early as 3000 BC. Because of its lucky location at the

heart of commercial and cultural activity, the ancient city never fell from

prosperity. While staying in Izmir, one of the nicest modern Aegean cities, you

can visit Pergamon with its acropolis, the ancient medical center of Asclepion

(built in honor of Asclepius), basilica, and the ancient spa settlement, Allianoi.

When it comes to cultural heritage, Turkey has a lot to offer. UNESCO’s World

Heritage List contains only 13 of them but there are dozens of more to worth a

visit.

Thank you…

Sources:

http://avocatravels.com/history-of-turkey/http://nationalparksofturkey.com/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/http://www.igf2014.org.tr/about.turkey.htmlhttp://www.goturkey.com/http://www.globaltimes.cn/http://www.hattusas.com/hattusas.htmlhttp://whc.unesco.org/http://archaeology.about.com/http://www.wmf.org/http://www.sacred-destinations.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/