The Changing Policies on the Protection and Management of Archaeological Sites in Turkey: an Overview

• 1. A Brief Survey on the Protection of Archaeological Sites in Turkey
  • 1.1 Ottoman era (19th century): initial efforts in archaeology and museology
  • 1.2 Early Republican Period (1923-1938): archaeology playing a fundamental role in the cultural policies of the State
  • 1.3 Cold War period following World War II: a stagnant period in archaeology and conservation
  • 1.4 Period of globalisation (from 1980s to the present): efforts to harmonise with the world in the field of archaeology and conservation
• 2. Preservation and Presentation of Archaeological Sites: the approach of archaeologists
• 3. Preservation and Presentation of Archaeological sites: the approach of the State
• 4. Conclusion

Figure 1: Roman baths excavated in 1930s on the main street in the modern part of Ankara and turned into an open-air museum. Image: 2019, Zeynep Eres

Figure 2: After the excavations in the late 1950s, the orthostats were preserved in situ at Karatepe-Aslantaş. Image: 2015, Zeynep Eres

Figure 3: The roof was built between 1957-1961 to protect the Karatepe-Aslantaş orthostats in situ. Image: 2015, Zeynep Eres

Figure 4: The façade of Celsus Library in Ephesus was erected in 1970s using the technique of anastylosis. Image: 1990, Mehmet Özdoğan

Figure 5: Gymnasium of Sardes was reconstructed in the 1960s. Image: 2013, Zeynep Eres

Figure 6: A detail from Sardes Gymsaium; most of the masonry and marble coverings were made with new material. Image: 2013, Zeynep Eres

Figure 7: Roman bath was converted into a museum in the ancient city of Side. Image: 2004, Zeynep Eres

Figure 8: The Samsat mound submerged under the Atatürk Dam Lake in South-east Anatolia. The mound consists of an archaeological deposit about 52m thick and covers all periods from the Neolithic period to the Middle Ages. Image: 1977, Mehmet Özdoğan

Figure 9: In Hattusha architectural remains from different periods were excavated. In the late 1970s, the remains were covered with soil and models of the structures from the Hittite Great Empire period were constructed above the original remains. Image: 2012, Zeynep Eres

Figure 10: The remains of the structures exposed in the Neolithic settlement of Çayönü in South-east Anatolia were covered with soil and full-scale copies were modelled on them. In the archaeological site, building remains from different cultural layers are exhibited. Image: 1991, Mehmet Özdoğan

Figure 11: In Aşağı Pınar the architectural remains were covered with soil. Because the modern village architecture is similar to archaeological remains, three buildings were brought to Aşağı Pınar for presenting prehistoric daily life to the visitors. Image: 2010, Aşağı Pınar Archive-Mehmet Özdoğan

Figure 12: Inside the exhibition hall, converted from a granary, full scale models of the Aşağı Pınar houses are exhibited.. Image: 2015, Aşağı Pınar Archive-Mehmet Özdoğan

Figure 13: Kanlıgeçit Early Bronze Age settlement is only 300m away from Aşağı Pınar. The building remains were covered with soil and full-scale models of the remains were constructed exactly above the original remains. Image: 2012, Kanlıgeçit Archive-Mehmet Özdoğan

Figure 14: Seven cultural layers were found in Aşağı Pınar's 3m thick archaeological deposit.. Image: 2011, Aşağı Pınar Archive-Mehmet Özdoğan

Figure 15: The re-erection of a temple in the ancient city of Laodicea. Image: 2013, Zeynep Eres

Figure 16: A detail from the temple implementation in Laodicea: A single row of original stone is visible on the ground, the upper part of the wall was built completely with new stones.. Image: 2013, Zeynep Eres

Figure 17: A detail from bouleuterion in Patara ancient city. All the stairs were reintegrated with new material so that the building could be used for social activities but unfortunately, the authenticity of the building is totally lost. Image: 2015, Merve Arslan Çinko

Figure 18: Yesemek archaeological site was a sculpture workshop in the Late Hittite period. As it is an authentic and unique site, the professional heritage managers advised the local municipality to suggest this archaeological site for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Today the municipality supports all the archaeological research on the site. Besides research, an international symposium series on Yesemek has also started

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