RECONSIDERING ‘RIVERS’ AS INITIATORS, GENERATORS AND TRANSFORMERS OF HERITAGE PLACES: THE RIVERINE LANDSCAPE OF MENDERES (MAEANDER)

Date

2026-7-3

Author

Okumuş, Gökhan

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Rivers, as powerful natural agents, have historically been not only sources of life but also creators and connectors of culture. From ancient civilizations that shaped agricultural lands and built cities along riverbanks to modern landscapes, rivers have remained central to the identity and evolution of human societies. This thesis reconceptualises water (-related) and riverine landscapes as heritage by positioning rivers as initiators, generators, and transformers of heritage places. As landscapes evolve, water-related relationships shaped by the river's fluctuating presence, scarcity, and abundance generate new heritage forms and patterns while increasing the complexity of their conservation and management. Moving beyond fragmented understandings of heritage, it develops a holistic framework that understands riverine landscapes as multidimensional, multiscalar, and evolving socio-ecological and socio-cultural systems. The research examines the Menderes (Maeander) River Delta as riverine landscape heritage, regarding the river as a creator and connector of natural, spatial, cultural, economic, and managerial relationships. Over time, relationships between settlements and the river have been transformed by natural and ecological processes, delta formation, water management, human interventions, economic development, and institutional changes. Consequently, the river has shifted from being perceived as a life-giving and culturally significant entity to being understood primarily as an economic and technical resource within fragmented conservation, management, and planning approaches. Accordingly, the thesis develops a holistic heritage definition and approach, providing a conceptual and methodological framework for understanding relationships between rivers, landscape layers, dynamics, driving forces, authors, and heritage values across spatial and temporal dimensions. It repositions the Menderes River as the main creator of the landscape while functioning as a connector that reintegrates ecological, spatial, cultural, and managerial contexts. Beyond its theoretical and methodological contributions, the thesis proposes site-specific recommendations, guideline documents, and a GIS-based heritage information and decision support system, contributing to the understanding, conservation, and management of water heritage and riverine landscapes across diverse geographical and cultural contexts.

Subject Keywords

Water and Landscape Ensemble, Water Heritage, Riverine Landscape Heritage, Sustainable and Holistic Heritage Conservation and Management, Menderes (Maeander) River Delta, Su ve Peyzaj Birlikteliği/Bütünlüğü, Su Mirası, Nehir Peyzajı Mirası, Sürdürülebilir ve Bütüncül Miras Koruma ve Yönetimi, Menderes (Maeander) Nehir Deltası

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/119747

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis