Kültür Katmanları Üzerinden Kırsalı Okumak; Kapadokya Bölgesi Ürgüp Köyleri Örneği

Abstract

In historical continuity, areas rebuilt by different civilizations transfer their historical experiences to the physical environment. The values accumulated in the memory of these settlements transmit the records of unearthed or undiscovered history to the future. In this respect, revealing and documenting the historical accumulations of settlements that shed light on the future is of great importance. This study aims to examine the historical characteristics and past connections of rural Ürgüp through the tangible cultural heritage and physical characteristics of its rural spaces. In this context, the villages of the Ürgüp settlement, which embody the cultural heritage of a long past, offer rich content as we trace the historical process back in time. It is evident that the city of Ürgüp, which has been used as a settlement since ancient times, contains traces of the social, economic, and political values seen throughout its long history, not only in its urban fabric but also in its rural texture. Accordingly, the study aims to reveal how the physical structure of rural Ürgüp has been shaped in parallel with the historical processes it has undergone from prehistoric times until 1980. In this context, historical research and field study methods were employed. A literature review was conducted on the concepts of rural settlement, rural areas, and rural architecture. In the historical research section, documents from the Prime Ministry Ottoman Archives, salnames (yearbooks), foundation records, travelogues, and visual data were analyzed. The data obtained from these sources, along with the findings from the field study, were compiled and processed on existing maps, and visual analyses were conducted. In the study, 23 villages within the present administrative boundaries of Ürgüp were analyzed at the settlement scale, and 3 villages located on the same axis were analyzed at the architectural scale. Among the buildings examined in the study area, many historical structures have not yet been the subject of academic research or formally identified. Through this research, buildings with rural heritage value were documented. All the data obtained were compiled, and a comparative evaluation was made. Based on the examinations and evaluations, the study's results were presented, and suggestions for further research were made.