Heritage: Turkey’s World sites

The rocky and historic landscape of Cappadocia was one of the earliest “World Heritage” sites. Today, applications are being considered that will raise the number of Turkey’s sites into double figures.

Heritage and conservation were a minority interest when the World Heritage Convention was first adopted back in 1972. But over the past thirty years United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recognition has become a sought-after token of prestige, pride and, indeed, promotion for custodians of a wide range of unique cultural and natural assets. Nine of the World’s 812 recognised World Heritage Sites are in Turkey and another eighteen may soon be under consideration.

The rock sites of Cappadocia, together with the Göreme National Park, were among the first Turkish locations to be included in the list of World Heritage Sites published by UNESCO. Together with the historic areas of Istanbul and the great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği, Sivas, they were registered in 1985.

The Convention had come into force in 1975, and Turkey had signed it in 1983. Signatories commit themselves to taking steps to protecting their own natural and cultural heritage for the sake of all humankind. At the same time they are encouraged to promote sites within their own national territory by nominating them for inclusion on the World Heritage List.  Signatories are then expected to manage such sites well and report on their condition. UNESCO provides technical assistance, training and emergency assistance where necessary.

Turkey’s other World heritage sites are the Hittite capital of Hattuşaş (Boğazköy) in Çorum (1986), Mount Nemrut (1987), Xanthos and Letoon, the twin centres of Lycian civilisation near Fethiye (1988), Hierapolis and Pamukkale (1988), Safranbolu (1994) and the archaeological site of Troy (1998). Nemrut and Pamukkale have already featured in DİPLOMAT (December 2004 and June 2005 respectively). Others will be visited in future editions.

Next in line?

For inclusion on the World Heritage List, a site must be of outstanding universal value. In addition, it must fit one or more of a number of other criteria. These range from representing “a masterpiece of human creative genius” or illustrating a significant stage in human history to epitomising major stages of the earth's history or containing the most important natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity. The decision-making World Heritage Committee, which met most recently in South Africa in July, also takes account of the protection, management, authenticity and integrity of the properties concerned.

The List contains 628 cultural sites, 160 natural sites and 24 which are a mixture of the two. While most of Turkey’s sites are cultural, Cappadocia-Göreme and Pamukkale-Hierapolis fall into the select category of mixed sites. Turkey has registered another 18 sites on its “tentative” list of properties from which it will choose the properties which it wishes to nominate as World Heritage Sites in the years ahead. The sites in question are: the Alahan Monastery in İçel (Mersin); the fortress and dockyards of Alanya; the early Ottoman settlements of Bursa and Cumalıkızık; the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne; Ephesus; Mount Güllük and the Termessos National Park in Antalya; the settlements of Harran and Şanlıurfa; the İshakpaşa Palace at Doğubeyazit; Antalya’s Karain Cave; Kekova; the Seljuk capital of Konya; the “cultural landscape” of Mardin; the Seljuk caravanserais on the route between Denizli and Doğubeyazit; the Church of St. Nicholas at Demre; the Church and Well of St. Paul and the surrounding historic quarters of Tarsus; Trabzon’s Sümela Monastery; the citadel and walls of Diyarbakir, and the tombstones, Urartian and Ottoman citadels of Ahlat, Bitlis.

(DIPLOMAT  -  September 2005  -  Ankara)