Cultural heritage and area management: Example of Gaziantep Rumkale archeological site area

Although protection has a long history, concepts such as Area Management, Management Plan, Cultural Heritage entered the literature in the 20th century, and the legal and stakeholder dimensions of the protection have been shaped in this century. Therefore, protection-use balance, sustainability of protection in order to leave legacy to future generations, important steps of protection from a participatory perspective have also been in this century. In this sense, Unesco has played an important role with its concrete contracts and bodies. Gaziantep, which is included in the Unesco creative cities network, has an important history due to its location in Mesopotamia. Rumkale, the study area, carried the traces of Assyrians, Roman Empire, Mamluks, Dulkadiroğulları and Ottoman civilization. It has also been an important belief center for many years because it was the center of the Armenian Catholicism and the Yakubis lived here. With the Archaeological Site Management Plan Model prepared for Rumkale, an important Cultural Heritage in terms of the historical process of humanity, in line with national and international laws, contracts and regulations, a management plan model that aims to provide holistic, participatory and sustainable protection has been attempted.