Post on 10-Jul-2015
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/