Presentation of urban archeological heritage: Konya city walls

This study focuses on the areas where the remains of fortifications and castles are found in the historical city center of Konya, where different application strategies such as urban archaeology, urban transformation, conservation and revitalization have been adopted. It is aimed that the walls, which give important references to the city's development process, and the urban archaeological heritage lost in the construction, can be perceived and accessible with appropriate presentation and exhibition methods. In this context, in the theoretical section, the conceptual and legal infrastructure is examined with the focus of the fact that the traces left by the fortification and castle structures can be kept alive in the city. The processes of the fortification and fortress structures of the city of Konya, which constitute the subject of the study, were studied with the help of historical maps and documents, and the current potentials, needs and opportunities of the area were determined by evaluating the results of site surveys in relation with the literatüre and archive surveys. Preservation and presentation of the studied archaeological remains were analyzed on the basis of structure and remains at the lower scale, and the relationships of the remains with each other and with other elements of the historical city were analyzed at the upper scale. Two important international documents published on the perception, interpretation and presentation of archaeological sites, the APPEAR Project (European Commission, 2006) and the ENAME Charter (ICOMOS, 2008), were used to determine the criteria for analyzing the remains. Based on the findings obtained in the analysis part of the study, it can be said that the continuity and integrity values of the remains are lost. In the current situation, it is concluded that the remains of Konya fortifications are neither defined in the urban space nor in the urban identity. After evaluating the problems of fortifications and castle ruins, the number of which is increasing day by day, principles and recommendations for their presentation were discussed so that they can become visible, perceptible, accessible areas in urban life.