The study for historical of Surici region in the case of protection of Cizre city

Legacies left behind by various societies, from dawn of history up until now, have played a key role in existence of historical sites. Historical cities and the legacies they have been home to constitue the identity of the places they are located in. In other words, both historical cities and historical sites that were shaped by structures belonging to these cities reflect the identity of a city. High significance of historical sites in terms of reflecting the identity of a city necessitates preservation of these places. This way, preserving and keeping the historical texture and identity of the city, and most importantly, passing it onto next generations as cultural heritage could be possible. Turkey is one of the unique countries as it has harbored a wide range of civilizations and so is rich in historical sites. That is why, many cities in our country have their own distinctive identity. However, high rates of population growth and migration to these cities caused unplanned urbanization. In cities that have such historical riches, these places have been damaged and many are on the brink of losing their identities. Therefore, as well as preserving one-scale structure, and urban as a whole, it is of high importance in terms of protecting the identity of the city and passing them onto next generations. Dating back to 4000 BC, Cizre settlement has been home to a variety of different civilizations and it is one of outstanding places in our country, in that, it embodies monumental and civil architecture of these civilizations. These architectural legacies are, besides city walls surrounding the settlement and bastions on them, are Inner Castle--located in historical Suriçi--, mosques, madrasahs, traditional houses, governmental buildings that were constructed in different eras. Apart from these, monumental and civil architecture structures of the settlement such as bridges, mansions built for various purposes are also of substantial legacies. Rooted history of Cizre manifested itself as a vital centre of the region, and also it shapes its identity with constructions left as legacies by previous eras. So, with its unique identity, it stands out as a must-preserved settlement. In this case, in the introduction of this research; the the question, aim, significance and limitations are clarified. In materials and methodology part, a thorough literature review has been done on historical site, concept of preservation and urban preservation and conceptual frame have been provided regarding the subject. Within this scope of research, development of urban preservation in Turkey and across the world has been analyzed and examples have been taken into account. In findings and discussion part of the research, a literature review has been done pertaining to historical Suriçi region of Cizre, which serves as on-site in this research, and related books, articles and thesis have been analyzed. Except for literature review, data have also been gathered through observation, photographs, filming, and interviews. Information regarding the campaigns for planning and preservation of historical Suriçi region of Cizre has been assessed and analyzed. To do so, the physical and solid change in the regions was aimed to be depicted via information and documents provided by institutions and organizations. All gathered data has been thoroughly analyzed to uncover urban development eras of historical Suriçi region in settlement-scale scope, urban planning decisions and their impact on the site and status preservation. In conclusion and recommendations part of the study, cultural heritage of historical Suriçi region of Cizre has been exhibited, the impacts of decisions on the physical structure of the region in view of maintaining sustainability of the region have been revealed and suggestions have been made concerning the preservation of the region.