Home> Archive> 2017> Volume 7 Number 4 (April. 2017)
IJSSH 2017 Vol.7(4): 252-259 ISSN: 2010-3646
doi: 10.18178/ijssh.2017.V7.830

Artificial Identity Elements of an Historical City as Cultural Accumulation of Civilizations: Erzurum, a Case from Asia Minor

Neslihan Kulözü Uzunboy

Abstract—This paper aims to present urban identity elements of Erzurum and focus particularly on artificial environmental identity elements as an accumulation of cultures in the same geography but in different historical periods, one after the other. Cities are entities that gain a current form of urban space with the effects of different civilizations during the historical periods where the architectural elements of various cultures are interdependent. Erzurum is a historical city that has been inhabited by several civilizations in its history date back to 4.000 BC. The many civilizations hosted by the city in its history have resulted in a broad cultural diversity that is embedded within the urban space, like a palimpsest. Architectural traces of different civilizations in urban space have great value, in that they allow traces of various cultures to be legible side by side. In the context of this study, after discussing the key concepts as urban identity, artificial identity elements, and palimpsests, the settlement history of Erzurum is presented based on secondary sources and settlement areas of each civilization are determined on the map of the city. Then spatial traces are presented in terms of architectural structures for each civilization within their settlement boundaries. Then remarkable spatial traces from different historical periods that contribute also the urban identity of Erzurum are introduced. Consequently, the civilizations inhabited in Erzurum in its 6000 years settlement history, and level of embeddedness of these civilizations in urban space at architectural level will shed light on. Through this way, to what extent traces of different civilization could reach today and their contribution to the urban identity of Erzurum, as a historical city from Asia Minor are also discussed.

Index Terms—Artificial environment, architectural structures, Erzurum, urban identity.

Neslihan Kulözü Uzunboy is with Atatürk University, Faculty of Architecture and Design Department of City and Regional Planning, Erzurum, 25240 Turkey (e-mail: nkulozu@gmail.com).

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Cite: Neslihan Kulözü Uzunboy, "Artificial Identity Elements of an Historical City as Cultural Accumulation of Civilizations: Erzurum, a Case from Asia Minor," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 252-259, 2017.

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