The loss of everyday life in heritage places: The case of Hasankeyf

The thesis focuses on how people's experiences in their memories are related to space, in which area spaces are included in memories, and to what extent space is incorporated into people's everyday life experiences in the act of remembering. By addressing the guiding concept of urban and collective memory, it is aimed to theoretically examine the connection between memory and space in terms of individual and social values. In addition, studies are intended to be conducted on the evaluation and sustainability of urban memory in the case of destruction or damage to a historical region and cultural heritage. Hasankeyf, a historical and important region located on the banks of the Tigris River in the Batman province of the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey today, which has witnessed 12 thousand years of history, was chosen as this study's research and examination area. In this region, the Ilısu Dam has been on the agenda since 1982 and was completed in 2020, submerging all settlements. During this process, the historical structures in Hasankeyf were moved to the newly built settlement area on the other side of the Tigris River with vehicles so that they would not be submerged or damaged. Houses other than the historical structures were submerged. People were also directed to the newly built area. The social, cultural, and especially architectural changes experienced in the region are the destruction of the cultural heritage, the urban and collective memory accumulated until today. From the perspective of urban and collective memory, the thesis aims to examine the displacement of people and historical structures due to Hasankeyf being submerged, the destruction of the ancient city by submerging, and the effects of these on people's everyday life experiences.