Research on historical environment conservation in Sulusokak and its surroundings i̇n tokat and the Gulbeyaz House preservation project

Historical environments are formed as a result of the interaction between the physical environment and the social, cultural, and economic structures of past societies. These environments, which establish a connection between the past and the future, are susceptible to various negative factors such as natural disasters, modernization, urban development, and unaware interventions. As a result, they face the danger of gradual disappearance. Preserving and passing on these historical environments, which constitute an important part of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, with all their values has become an inevitable necessity. In this article, the approximately 900-year-old Sulusokak and its historical surroundings within the boundaries of Tokat province are addressed. This region, which was historically significant in terms of trade due to its location on the Silk Road, has hosted many states. Sulusokak region, which has a multi-layered history and many monumental and civil architectural values, holds an important place in our country's conservation understanding. However, it has suffered and is still suffering from destruction due to factors such as changes in regional connection routes throughout the historical process, abandonment, neglect, lack of conservation awareness, improper repairs, deterioration over time, and vandalism. Within the scope of the study, the historical development, socio-cultural, economic, and demographic characteristics of the Sulusokak region were examined, and the current state of the historical environment was revealed through prepared physical structure analyses. As a result of all evaluations, conservation problems in the region were identified, and solution recommendations were provided. Additionally, in order to highlight the civil architectural features in the historical environment, a survey study was conducted to document a traditional residential structure, and restoration recommendations were made by identifying conservation issues. It is hoped that this study will contribute to the preservation of Sulusokak and its surroundings with a holistic conservation approach for future generations.