Evaluation of Izmir-Seljuk Ayasuluk Castle and its environs with archelogical features in terms of landscape architecture

Historic environments have utmost importance with their distinctive cultural features. As a research subject, historic environments have different meaning for different disciplines and they can be approached from various directions. Despite being impossible to replace, historic environments in Turkey are deteriorating rapidly. In order to protect areas of historical importance and preserve them for future generations it is imperative that they are also assessed in terms of landscape architecture.In this study, Ayasuluk Castle and its environs, which are called 1st Ephesus, are located into İzmir-Seljuk district, have been investigated with their archaeological features and assessed from the perspective of landscape architecture.In this respect, firstly the issue of preservation and its importance are explained. This is followed by discussions on historical development of the concept of preservation in the world and in Turkey, the problems related to the preservation process in Turkey, and the role of landscape architecture in archaeological and historic environments. In the following sections, archaeological features of the Ayasuluk Castle and its environs and the development of city identity in the historical process are explained. The structures that survived up today are introduced, the opportunities and problems of the region are identified, the landscape features of the region are assessed and for the case area Archaeological Park, Ephesus Antique City-Ayasuluk Hill and the Virgin Mary's house, a new travel route creation, etc. suggestions are improved.