Semiotic discussion and protection structures aimed at the archeological sites in Turkey

Archeological sites, in the context of cultural heritage, are built environments that offer a wealth of material richness from the technological and cultural values produced by previous generations, as well as various layers of meaning accrued through spatial uses within historical processes, making them readable in semiotic terms. In this regard, cultural heritage sites form a unique context highlighted by their societal and historical qualities that need to be interpreted both locally and universally within discussions encompassing archaeology, architecture, and semiotics. They provide a fertile ground for design and implementation research aimed at architectural sign production. Semiotic discussions involve interdisciplinary methodologies aimed at interpreting signs naturally produced by humans as a result of cognitive experiences and perceptions. Semiotics, a fundamental method in interpreting archaeological data, is also employed in architecture as an interpretive approach to understand how spaces are produced, used, perceived, and communicate. Within this context, the thesis focuses on conservation practices that can be examined at the intersection of cultural heritage, archaeology, architecture, and semiotics, particularly emphasizing conservation interventions. The selection of conservation practices is based on architectural semiotics, focusing on structures where the relevant signs are reproduced by the architectural project authors in their design approaches and narratives. In this scope, the Saçakları at Karatepe-Aslantaş, the Afrodisias Museum Extension, and the HV+T Conservation Structures at Aşıklı Höyük have been examined concerning semiotic discussions and conservation practices in archaeological sites in Turkey