ISSN: 1308-6200 | Publisher: Kültür Ajans 

Karadeniz International Scientific Journal

This is an internationally refereed social science journal that is published every three months (quarterly) in electronic-based and print-based since 2009. The journal publishes four issues each year (March, June, September, and December).

The publication language of this journal is Turkish, English, or Russian.

This is an open-access journal. Therefore, all issues and articles published so far can be accessed free of charge from the journal's website.

 

Issue 64
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ON THE TRAIL OF CULTURAL CONTINUITY: SELJUK ERA HERITAGE IN THE URBAN FABRIC OF KAYSERI

Merve BİLGEN IŞIK - Münevver DAĞGÜLÜ

Every city has a unique identity shaped by its accumulated social, cultural, and economic dimensions over time. This identity differentiates cities from one another and grants them distinctiveness. The concept of "Cultural Continuity" plays a significant role in the preservation and sustainable development of urban identity and spatial memory. The city of Kayseri has historically been a significant cultural and historical center. The Seljuk Era, in particular, played a pivotal role in shaping and forming the city’s cultural heritage. The urban fabric of Kayseri, which evolved through layering before and after the Seljuk period, has undergone numerous transformations during both traditional and modern eras.

This study evaluates the Seljuk cultural heritage, which forms Kayseri’s urban identity, in terms of its continuity and discontinuity in urban morphology. It examines the relationship between the concept of cultural continuity and urban spaces and identifies the development and spatial placement of the Seljuk cultural heritage within Kayseri’s urban structure. In this context, the study aims to document the Seljuk heritage and analyze the urban fabric of that period with a holistic perspective.

The Seljuk cultural heritage was analyzed using cartographic methods. By utilizing the city map from 1882 and urban plans from 1945 and 1986, the traces of historical structures were mapped, and data from different periods were superimposed and evaluated. The original digital maps produced in the study are expected to make significant contributions to Seljuk history, as well as urban and cultural heritage studies. Findings revealed that out of 45 architectural structures identified from the Seljuk period in the urban geography, 38 have maintained their continuity to the present day. This continuity demonstrates that the Seljuk urban spatial organization influenced modern Kayseri’s urban layout, with similar site selection decisions perpetuated through the city’s historical layers. Consequently, the Seljuk urban identity and cultural continuity have been sustained within the modern urban structure of Kayseri, continuing to contribute to the city’s identity.

Keywords: Kayseri, Seljuk City, Cultural Heritage, Continuity, Cartography

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