Meddahlık (Traditional Storytelling), Karagöz (Shadow Play), and Orta Oyunu (Traditional Turkish Theater) in Sakarya within the Scope of Intangible Cultural Heritage

The concept of "Intangible Cultural Heritage," which emerged from the efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to preserve cultural assets, refers to cultural elements that people within a specific community, group, or region pass down from generation to generation. This heritage includes abstract concepts and practices such as cultural identity, traditions, language, beliefs, rituals, stories, songs, dances, crafts, gastronomy, wisdom, and other cultural practices. Intangible Cultural Heritage involves the preservation, appreciation, and transmission from the past to the future of non-material cultural elements such as the historical experiences, traditions, rituals, art forms, and lifestyles of human communities. With the "Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage" established in Paris in 2003, these elements were categorized under five different headings: "oral traditions and expressions; performing arts; social practices, rituals, and festive events; knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; and traditional craftsmanship." The aim was to preserve these elements by keeping them alive and passing them down through generations. As a result of Turkey's ratification of the convention in 2006, research in this area has gained importance. Within the scope of this thesis, the traditions of "Karagöz/Shadow Play, Meddahlık (storytelling), and Ortaoyunu (a form of traditional Turkish theatre)," which are considered under the performing arts category of intangible cultural heritage, have been examined with the aim of sustaining these traditions and transmitting them to new generations. These performative arts have been studied in the context of Sakarya. Workshops, educational activities, and stage performances conducted to transmit these arts to future generations have been analyzed, compared with different regions of Anatolia, and their similarities and differences have been highlighted.