Site management in world heritage conservation: Diyarbakır Walls and Hevsel Garden example

In the most basic terms, site management refers to all decisions and measures taken to manage and manage a region whose boundaries are determined by human or natural means. UNESCO has been the most effective and guiding organization in the field of site management. In order to prevent the destruction and problems that may occur after the protection of cultural heritage elements, the site management approach has emerged and it is aimed to protect the area to be protected within a certain plan and order. In the relevant article of the UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, particular emphasis was placed on site management and it was requested that the relevant region should have a site management plan as one of the basic conditions for being included in the World Heritage List. In this study, the nomination process of Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscapeto the UNESCO World Heritage List and the site management plan prepared are discussed and the site management plan prepared for Diyarbakır is compared with the management plans of three different selected sites in Turkey. The relationships between the institutions, organizations and actors involved in the preparation of the Diyarbakır Site Management Plan and the management plans of Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex, Ephesus and Arslantepe Mound are evaluated. In addition, the prominent elements of site management planning in cultural heritage management were investigated and the common elements and differences in the management plans prepared for the sites with different cultural heritage values discussed in this study were analyzed. Finally, the qualifications of the institutions, organizations, and actors that are prominent, and effective, in managing/directing the process in the preparation of site management plans were investigated and the relations between the institutions, organizations and actors involved in this process were evaluated.