Functional change and evaluation of the historical commercial center Arasa and nearby areas in Gaziantep from the 16th century

The historical commercial center of Gaziantep is located, with its multi-layer structure integrated with the experiences of the living from the first ages, on the axis of Haleppo in the direction of Southeast and starting from the mound which is at south of Alleben Stream that passing through the east-west direction of the city and from in front of the castle on it. Characteristic constituents which include inn, public bath, kastel, mosque, fountain, bazaar, street and squares that reflect the physical and social features and cultural heritage are located in this historical region. In the time from the 16th century to the present, the region has changed socially, economically, physically and functionally as a result of value judgments, conditions and new requirements. The concept of "transferring cultural heritage to future generations" has revealed the necessity of preserving all of the material and spiritual items that load meaning, value, emotion, mystery to a location with the term of "spirit of place". The aim of this study is to research the changes in the physical structure, culture, and craft of Arasa, which is a key point for region, and its near and to draw conclusions from all of them. ● In the first and second part the geographical location, the first settlement areas, the history, the formation of traditional urban pattern, the development and the factors, who took the active role, of Gaziantep were examined. ● In the third part, the trade constructions, inns, public baths, mosques, kastels, fountains and bazaars that had characteristic features of the Ottoman period and social organizations which were effective in the economic, social, cultural and functional development of the city were examined and presented. ● In the fourth chapter, physical, economic, socio-cultural, functional and semantic changes of the historical trade center from the late Ottoman period to the present day were analyzed by document, visual environment analysis, oral history study. ● In the fifth chapter, in the context of preservation and keeping of cultural heritage, the data obtained were evaluated by assuming that the study could be an infrastructure for future urban design-scale planning studies in the direction of spatial and technological developments, conclusions and suggestions were defined. Key words: Gaziantep historical trade center, bazaar, location, spirit of the place.