The formation of a rural settlement and analysis of the processes of change from an ethnoarchaeological poi̇nt of view: Murtaza Village-Niğde

This study aims to explain how social, cultural, economic, political and military phenomena and geographical conditions affect the processes of settlement, continuity and change. In other words; these conditions are investigated by means of its impact on the practices of creating place and space. An extensive ethnoarchaeological research is conducted in Murtaza village located in Melendiz region (Volcanic Cappadocia) involving ethnographical, archaeological, historical, architectural and geographical findings. Murtaza village maintains its traditional life style and its settlement history dates back to thousands of years ago. The research aims to come up with an explanation to the one of the main problematics of archaeology which is the formation of a settlement and the processes of change through time by using ethnoarchaeological methods in Murtaza Village (Niğde). Keywords: Melendiz region, Murtaza village, the formation of a settlement, the processes of change, architecture, phenomena, geographical conditions, ethnoarchaeology.