Research Information System
Thesis Type: Postgraduate
Institution Of The Thesis: Middle East Technical University, Turkey
Approval Date: 2018
Thesis Language: English
Student: Esra Nur Usta
Supervisor: AYŞE GÜLİZ BİLGİN ALTINÖZ
Abstract:Most of the towns are the outcome of a continual historical development process, reflected as the existence of components of different layers in the contemporary urban space. Life and experiences of the inhabitants take place in this multilayered urban space. Hence, the existing urban space keeps history and personal stories alive. This coherence constitutes a relation between memories in minds of people and traces in their physical environment. The mnemonic effect of physical environment leads to identity, belonging and possession senses in people. Any change or disappearance in the physical environment can cause weakening in bond between people and place because of losing recollection images and memories. Therefore, changing identity of place can result with alienation of people to their living places. Hisarbaşı Neighborhood in Milas, is a multi-layered settlement in west Anatolia, which embraces architectural and urban components of different periods. This multitemporal physical environment constitutes the context for collective and personal memories of the inhabitants of the neighborhood. However, the neighborhood was exposed to different transformation processes, and the memory places in the area were changed or disappeared after these forces. Especially, an important archaeological layer with Sarcophagus of Hekatomnos, was discovered beneath the existing city. This urban archaeological layer was considered not only as an important archaeological discovery, but also as a potential economic benefit area via tourism, by the local and central authorities. Hence, this discovery resulted in the declaration of a whole living neighborhood with well-preserved Ottoman period historic urban tissue as 1. degree archaeological site, thus led to its demolition. Consequently, the area lost and is still losing its memory places, turning into a ‘lacuna’ tangibly in the city, and intangibly in the memories. This thesis study handles the formation and transformation of the memory places, and aims to conserve and sustain their existence in the historic heritage places.