The memory of multi-layered cities: Antakya case

Tangible and intangible values are effective in the formation and stratification of historical environments. These values from past to present; It includes all architectural elements, construction techniques, lifestyles, livelihoods, economic, social, religious and belief systems, and cultural values. These values, which constitute the identities of the cities, have an important place in the transfer of intangible values between generations by creating the spirit of the place and revealing the cultural richness together with the shaping of the physical built environment. In Antakya, which has been home to many civilizations and historical periods, the selected work area and the changes and transformations that the region has undergone from ancient times to the present are shaped by belief systems, lifestyles, different cultures and administrations; is to ensure that it is revealed in layers by considering its physical, social and economic aspects. Evaluating the unity of the tangible and intangible values that make up the identity of the city, with the relations between the layers in the urban memory, revealing the characteristics specific to the traditional texture, the sustainability of these values and their new interaction with the city are discussed. The features of the traditional texture, which will be revealed by examining both on an urban scale and on a building basis, will be evaluated as pertaining to the context. Earthquakes of 7.7 and 7.6 Mw, which took place in Kahramanmaraş-Pazarcık and Kahramanmaraş-Elbistan on February 6, 2023, deeply affected the province of Hatay and caused destruction. In addition, the 6.4 Mw earthquake that took place in Hatay-Samandağ centre on February 20, 2023 increased the degree of destruction and damage. The aim of the study is to try to define the rich city memory, which the city of Antakya has formed by stratification from its foundation to the present, under historical, physical and cultural layers, together with its tangible and intangible values. This study, which was made on Antakya with greater importance after the earthquake, has the quality of being a reference for all the plans to be made for the city after the earthquake. The study covers the area between the western shoreline of the Asi River and the Habibi Neccar (Silpius) Mountains in the city of Antakya. In the study, historical research, cadastral plans, historical documents, old photographs, current photographs of the area were used.