Date

2021-7-30

Author

Gümüşlü, Seda Nehir

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This research seeks to investigate the re-assessment, valorization and representation of Byzantine cultural heritage in Turkey through the current practices of preservation and presentation. Byzantine cultural heritage is an important part of the cultural continuity of Turkey. It survives in a variety of cultural and geographical contexts, as well as within different scales of settlement, building typology and cultural strata. The preservation and valorization of cultural heritage for a particular period of the past is only possible by its adoption by the societies it influences. An efficient narrative and representation of cultural heritage is the strongest way to ensure the adoption of the past. A shared past and values make the adoption process easier for society, however, without cultural and religious links with the Byzantine civilization, it is clear that Byzantine cultural heritage in Turkey has been neglected for decades, perhaps centuries. With this in mind, we might justifiably claim that Turkey’s Byzantine past can be labelled as ‘long-neglected’ when trying to examine how Byzantium is understood and treated in Turkey, and also how it is represented in the literature. Although interest in Byzantium has increased over recent decades, the study of its cultural heritage, however, has featured less in the archaeological investigations, academic studies, and conservarvation practices when compared so far to the Classical, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods. The core of the present research is based on the current physical conditions and uses of Byzantine structures and their remains, and involves a comprehensive literature survey as well as a series of field studies in Turkey and other countries to examine current conservation and presentation practices. Various factors affecting attitudes towards Byzantine heritage and its understanding (e.g. historical, ethnic, socio-cultural, religious, educational, economic, the role of the mass media) are examined in detail. Following this, Byzantine cultural heritage is classified in four groups according to geographical context, settlement scale in terms of location, and archaeological characteristics. These groups are: Byzantine cultural heritage in urban settlements and archaeological settings; Byzantine cultural heritage in rural settlements and archaeological settings; Byzantine cultural heritage in individual archeological sites; and Byzantine cultural heritage as part of cultural landscapes. The selected case study areas within these groups were visited and analyzed according to determined criteria linked to ‘state of preservation’ designated after preliminary analyses, and a set of criteria for ‘state of presentation’, fixed according to recognized international documents. The particular evaluations of each case are presented at the end of the analyses. In addition, the current state of Byzantine heritage in the Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean is also examined Chapter 4, on a comparative basis, to provide an objective viewpoint for attitudes towards Byzantium in Turkey. The dialogue between society and heritage needs to be established and strengthened, so as to provide a better understanding and interaction with the past, before its presentation to and adoption by wider audiences. In this context, the necessity of constructing ‘meaning’ from the past and establishing a narrative are key factors. It is thus crucial to produce high-quality knowledge on Byzantium and its heritage, determine how this content should be used/presented, and identify the stakeholders of this process, so that the preservation, valorization, and representation of Byzantine cultural heritage can be disseminated ever more widely and efficiently.

Subject Keywords

Cultural Heritage, Byzantium/Byzantine, Conservation, Representation, Valorization

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/94216

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis