A model proposal for conversation of rural settlements: Case study of Karaşar neighborhood of Beypazari district of Ankara province

The concept of rural heritage can be defined as the collection of the cultural landscape created by the constructed and natural areas, the social and economic activities related to the rural life, and the indigenous values created by the tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Nowadays, the settlements considered as rural heritage lose their associated characteristics due to various factors, including industry, tourism, agriculture-land-water policies, population movements, cultural corruption as well as the lack of modern opportunities. In the present study, the concepts related to rural were defined, and both the national and international studies on the protection of rural settlements were assessed to draw the intellectual and conceptual framework. Based on this framework, a management plan was proposed for the documentation and the sustainable protection of the rural settlements by identifying the associated cultural values. The proposed plan was implemented in the Karaşar neighborhood of Beypazarı District of Ankara Province as the selected sample for this study. Accordingly, the physical, social, economic characteristics of Karaşar, along with its neighboring settlements were identified and the respective cultural and social values were presented. Additionally, the physical, social, and legal analyses were made to inform the development of the protection plan, and specific recommendations for actions were created correspondingly. The applicability of the proposed site management plan in similar rural settlements was discussed in the results section.