TÜRKİYE IN THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST

In addition to meeting the criteria set by the World Heritage Committee affiliated with UNESCO, the “World Heritages” are natural and cultural assets which are considered to have an important value for the entire world, considering their architectural, historical, aesthetic, cultural, economic, social, symbolic and philosophical features.

Membership to World Heritage List is a process that begins with the application to UNESCO by the member states that have accepted the convention and the applications of the International Monuments and Sites Council (ICOMOS) and the International Association for the Protection of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). And then this process will be completed at the end of the evaluation of applications. After these processes, candidates, such as natural formations, monuments, sites, etc., which are of international significance and therefore regarded as admirable and protected, are granted “World Heritage” status in line with the decision of the World Heritage Committee.

As of 2020, our country has 18 assets, 16 cultural and 2 mixed (both cultural and natural) registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In the World Heritage Temporary List, our country has 83 assets, 3 natural, 78 cultural and 2 mixed (cultural / natural).

IZMIR IN THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST

Our 2 cultural assets in İzmir are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and 5 cultural assets are in the World Heritage Temporary List.

Bergama Multilayered Cultural Landscape Area has been taken into the World Heritage List in 2014 and Ephesus in 2015.

Birgi Historical City (2012) and Foça and Çandarlı Castles (2013) were previously included in the temporary list under the file name "Fortress and Walled Settlements from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea on the Genoese Trade Road". Later, İzmir Çeşme Castle (2020) was also added to the temporary list. Process continues to be included in the permanent list.

Historical Port City of İzmir, which has been developed as a port city in the Ottoman geography and has been an uninterrupted settlement since the Hellenistic Period, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List in 2020. The Historical Port City is known for its different cultural and religious buildings, inns, bazaars, passages, commercial centers equipped with hotels and it has an architectural heritage belonging to different cultures.

Bergama Multilayered Cultural Landscape Area (2014):

Bergama Multilayered Cultural Landscape Area contains layers of Pergamon (multi-layered city), Hellenistic, Roman, Eastern Roman and Ottoman Periods. The area consists of 9 components: Kibele Sanctuary, İlyas Tepe, Yığma Tepe, İkili, Tavşan Tepe, X Tepe, A Tepe and Maltepe Tumuli.

The ancient Pergamon settlement on the top of Kale Mountain represents the best example of Hellenistic city planning with its monumental architecture. The Temple of Athena, Temple of Trajan, the steepest theater structure of the Hellenistic period, the library, Heroon, Altar of Zeus, Temple of Dionysus, Agora and Gymnasion are the most outstanding examples of this planning system and architecture of the period.

The city, the capital of the Hellenistic Kingdom of Pergamum, was an important educational center. Bergama, which later became the capital of the Asian Empire of the Roman Empire, hosted Asklepion, one of the most important health centers of its period.

The city contains many exceptional examples from the Hellenistic and Roman Periods along with the cultural landscape around it. It has preserved its importance with many mosques, inns, Turkish baths and commercial centers belonging to the Ottoman period architecture, especially spread over the layers of the Roman and Eastern Roman periods.

Ephesus World Heritage Site (2015):

The "Ephesus" World Heritage Site has been included in the World Heritage List. The city of Ephesus consists of four components: Çukuriçi Höyük, Ayasuluk Hill (Selçuk Castle, St. John's Basilica, Isa Bey Bath, Isa Bey Mosque, Artemision), Ancient City of Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary.

Ephesus, which is one of the most important centers of the ancient period, has been a settlement for approximately 9000 years without interruption during the Hellenistic, Roman, Eastern Roman, Principalities and Ottoman periods, and has been a very important port city, cultural and commercial center in all stages of its history.

Ephesus, which contains symbols that shed light on the superior urbanization, architecture and religious history of the Hellenistic and Roman Era, has the best examples of architectural and urban planning from different periods. Some of these examples are as follows: Artemision, a cult center dating back to the 8th century BC and known as one of the seven wonders of the Ancient period; The Church of the Virgin Mary, where the Ecumenical Council of 431 was held and Mary was accepted and declared as the mother of Jesus; unique works that witness the early Christian period, such as the Basilica, built on the tomb of St. John, one of Jesus' apostles, who wrote the Gospel of Yahya in Ephesus; The House of Virgin Mary, which is accepted as a place of pilgrimage by Christians today, and Islamic structures built during the Beyliks period. Ephesus also offers a unique cultural richness in religious history that still stands today.

Birgi Historic City (2012):

Birgi, located in Ödemiş District of İzmir Province, was under the control of the Phrygian Civilization (750-680 BC), Lydia Civilization (680-546 BC), Persian Kingdom, Pergamon Kingdom, Roman and Byzantine Empire respectively. The city was the capital of Aydınoğlu Principality in the 13th and 14th century during the Anatolian Principalities. In 1426, it was definitely under Ottoman rule.

Birgi is one of the rare settlements that has preserved its unique traditional architectural texture to the present day. It has a large number of registered buildings that have survived to the present day with its mansions, mosques, tombs, madrasas, baths, fountains and many other works.

Two architectural buildings that reflect the traditional architectural texture in the historical settlement in the best way: The Ulu Mosque, which is one of the most successful examples of its period with its wooden ornament altar and pulpit, and Çakırağa Mansion, which attracts attention with its wooden workmanship.

Foça and Çandarlı Castles (2013):

In 2013, 2 of the 7 castles included in the World Heritage Temporary List within the scope of "Fortress and Walled Settlements from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea on the Genoese Trade Road" are in Izmir Province. Foça Castle, which was an important commercial port during the Genoese period and was important in the defense of the city, and Çandarlı Castle, which attracted attention with its robustness and magnificent structure, entered the list.

Genoese have established trade colonies in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Atlantic Ocean and Northern Europe between the 11th and 15th centuries, and have built castles on the coasts or repaired and used old castle ruins. There are many settlements used by Genoese for a period on the Anatolian shores, which have been at the crossroads of important trade routes throughout the history. Castles included in the World Heritage Temporary List are as follows: Yoros Castle located on a dominant hill of Anadolu Kavağı at the Black Sea exit of the Bosphorus; Galata Tower, (although it is not a fortress structure, due to its importance in the urban defense system bequaethed by the Genoese); Amasra Castle, which became the center of commercial vitality, especially in the Black Sea during the Genoese period; Sinop Castle and Akçakoca Castle, which is important in maritime trade and today known as Genoese Castle; also Foça and Çandarlı Castles were included in the World Heritage Temporary List within the scope of "Fortress and Walled Settlements from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea on the Genoese Trade Road".

Foça Castle: Foça was one of the most important centers among 12 Ionian cities and hosted Persian, Macedonian, Genoese and Ottoman civilizations. Foça Castle was built at a strategic point in the eleventh and twelfth centuries to secure urban protection. Genoese took the castle from the Byzantines and rebuilt it. When Phokaia (Foça) was captured by the Ottomans in 1455, the walls of the castle were repaired and towers were added. An inscription at the entrance of the fortress mentions that the repair was carried out between 1538-1539 by Silahtar İskender Ağa, the guardian of Sultan Mustafa Han, the son of Suleiman the Magnificent. In addition, the castle has a boathouse, which is used today as an open-air theater.

Çandarlı Castle: Çandarlı is a seaside town in Dikili district of Izmir. The area where Çandarlı Castle is located remains from the archaic period, but the construction date of the castle is not clear. In the 13th and 14th centuries, Genoese continued their domination in Foça and took Çandarlı under control and used this port for commercial purposes. Genoese were able to increase their influence thanks to Çandarlı, a safe trade port. This castle was restored by the Genoese. It should be noted that the Genoese influence is very high here. Çandarlı Castle, which has a rectangular shape, is well preserved today with its five towers, rain gutters, doors and walls.

Çeşme Castle (2020)

İzmir Çeşme Castle is also added to the temporary list of entities under the file name "Fortress and Walled Settlements from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea on the Genoese Trade Road". In this context, Foça and Çandarlı Castles were the first to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List.

İzmir Historical Port City (2020)

Historical Port City of İzmir, which has been developed as a port city in the Ottoman geography and has been an uninterrupted settlement since the Hellenistic Period, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List in 2020. The Historical Port City is known for its different cultural and religious buildings, inns, bazaars, passages, commercial centers equipped with hotels and it has an architectural heritage belonging to different cultures.