Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
3. International Congress of New Generations and New Trends in Tourism, Sakarya, Türkiye, 26 - 28 Ekim 2023, ss.117-127
Aim
This study aims to categorize visitors' experiences by
examining the comments of visitors who have visited the hypostyle mosques
included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This provides the tourism sector
with insights into understanding the factors that may influence visitors'
experiences of heritage sites.
Method
In line with the purpose
of the research, content analysis, one of the qualitative research methods, was
adopted and analyzes were carried out in this context. Within the scope of the
research, 316 comments that visited the historical buildings named 'Konya
Beyşehir Eşrefoğlu Mosque', 'Eskişehir Sivrihisar Great
Mosque', 'Kastamonu Kasaba Köy Mahmut Bey Mosque', 'Ankara Ahi Şerafeddin
(Arslanhane) Mosque' and 'Afyonkarahisar Great Mosque', which are
included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and shared them on TripAdvisor were
analyzed.
Findings
The
comments made on the TripAdvisor content sharing site between 2011 and October
2023 about the hypostyle mosques included in the UNESCO World Heritage List
were analyzed by content analysis and as a result, visitor experiences were
summarized in five themes: admiration, fascination, sense of heritage,
orientation to architectural elements, authenticity, spirituality.
Results And Suggestions
The study found that the
majority of individuals who visited hypostyle mosques had positive opinions
about their experiences. However, most of the comments are in Turkish, which
indicates that the international recognition of the mosques is weak. However,
the fact that most of the comments are positive indicates the potential of
hypostyle mosques in terms of tourism.
Originality
This study is the first study to reveal the appearance
of hypostyle mosques, which are among the important historical buildings of
Turkey and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, on online platforms
where comments can be freely made.