Conservation project of Adatepe Village in Ayvacik district, Canakkale province

Adatepe, which is located in the south of Çanakkale, is one of the important villages which has preserved its authenticity to a great extent today. Adatepe is a settlement built on the south slope of the Mount Ida. Located 3 km to the north of Küçükkuyu town connected to Ayvacık, the village's air distance to the sea is 1600 meters. Sepulchral monuments at the entrance of Adatepe, which is said to have been built by the Chepni tribe of Oghuz Turks in the 10th century demonstrate that the village is a settlement dating back to the Seljuk Period. It is also known that the majority of Adatepe's inhabitants were from the tribe of Uçturkmen. The presence of Adatepe on the map of Hüdavendigâr District dating from 1530 shows that the village existed for more than 500 years. The village, where the Turks and the Greeks lived together until the 1924 Compulsory Population Exchange, has been preserved by being declared as an Urban Site thanks to the efforts of its inhabitants. Therefore, Adatepe has reached today without losing its original settlement fabric and traditional architectural character. Adatepe is separated from the surrounding villages due to this feature. In the scope of the thesis study, social and cultural fabric of Adatepe, its architectural features and the changes it underwent are studied. As a result, suggestions in regard to the sustainability of economic activities and cultural environment of Adatepe are presented together. The thesis study is composed of five parts and a conclusion. First part is the introduction part where the Literature Summary, Aim of the Thesis and Findings are stated. In the second part, the location of Ayvacık district and its physical features, its social and economic structure, cultural and natural assets and mythological elements are described. In addition, information regarding the historical development of the region is studied. In the third part, plan and façade features of the historic buildings within the Urban Site Border of Adatepe village, their construction techniques, and material properties are examined. The environmental elements such as the streets and the monumental trees are determined, the changes occurring in the site are studied. In the fourth part, official regulations in regard to the Urban Site and its immediate environment are presented, current settlement conditions are studied. In the fifth and last part, suggestions in regard to the preservation of the historical rural fabric and natural environment of Adatepe village and its immediate environment are developed. The suggestions are detailed in the selected pilot area. Intervention decisions have been made to improve Adatepe by preparing the layout plans and elevations of the pilot area. Besides, various suggestions have also been developed for the unused buildings and empty areas in the village. With the results of this study, it is aimed to make a contribution both in a theoretical and practical sense to the preservation of Adatepe and to set an example for the other villages of Ayvacık as well.