Conservation of İznik Derekoy rural architectural heritage and conservation project of a traditional housing example

Iznik and its surroundings have a rich cultural heritage as it is a region where different cultures have lived together since the Prehistoric Period. Iznik, which has preserved its rural-urban connections from the past to the present and is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, is a heritage site of universal importance with its archaeological sites, monumental architectural works, traditional civil architecture examples and intangible heritage elements related to historical identity. In this context, it is necessary to examine the historical, geographical, sociodemographic, economic characteristics of the Iznik countryside, which has preserved its relations with Iznik until today, and to determine and document its built environment. This study focuses on Iznik-Derekoy, a rural settlement with a historical depth dating back to the Hellenistic period and a high density of traditional buildings. First of all, the historical, geographical, cultural, socio-economic data of the settlement are expressed through a literature review. Then, the built environment and traditional civil architecture features of the settlement were revealed through detailed on-site investigations, written and oral sources and drawings. Dereköy rural architectural heritage inventory was created in order to determine the current status of the traditional civil architectural examples in the settlement, to record the buildings with originality that can be recommended for registration and to create an information network for institutions and organizations working in this field. Within the scope of the study, 68 traditional civil architecture examples in the settlement were documented. In the light of all these data, conservation problems in the rural settlement were identified and solutions were developed for the problems. In order to express the traditional civil architectural fabric in the settlement in more detail, a selected traditional house example was documented with photographs, survey drawings, damage assessment analysis, and protection and restoration recommendations were given with intervention decisions for them. It is hoped that the study will contribute to the preservation and transfer of Iznik's rural architectural heritage to the future.