Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
International Conference on Conservation of Architectural Heritage (CAH) - 8th Edition, Cagliari, İtalya, 17 Eylül 2024 - 19 Eylül 2025, ss.1-10, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
The
study analyzes the conservation approach of the Roadside Halting Place (Menzil)
Complexes, constructed by Mimar Sinan during his influential tenure as the
chief architect in the Ottoman Empire from 1538 to 1588, within the framework
of sustainability. These complexes, integral to the Ottoman communication
system, were strategically positioned on the Anatolian transport network,
tracing back to the Roman Empire and further developed under the Anatolian
Seljuk Empire. They catered to travelers including merchants, pilgrims,
postmen, and soldiers, embodying the advanced institutional structure of the
empire. Spanning a vast geography from Belgrade to Damascus, many of these
complexes were masterfully crafted by Sinan, a renowned architect, whose
expertise extended to design, engineering, and project management. He was the
chief of royal architects, and participated in seven international conquest
expeditions together with Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, and thus ensured the
construction of nearly 400 architectural works in 50 years not only in the
capital Istanbul but also in a wide geography. Some of Sinan's complexes have
suffered damage due to improper restorations and misuse, while others have
vanished entirely. The holistic and sustainable conservation of these roadside
complexes necessitates the identification and preservation of their authentic
values, integrating them into cultural routes as part of a "transboundary
serial heritage" initiative. Just as the villas of Andrea Palladio, who
was a contemporary of Sinan and formed the Palladian architectural movement,
are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as "serial heritage",
it is aimed to include Sinan's roadside halting place complexes, which
constitute Ottoman classical architecture, in the World Heritage List. In this
context, the paper will try to answer the question of "how these roadside
halting place complexes should be analyzed (detection), evaluated (diagnosis),
protected (treatment, interpretation and presentation) with a holistic,
participatory, sustainable and capacity-building approach".