The affect of cultural identity in Turkey on architecture

The boundaries of culture are uncertain which means that it is not simply estimated where it begins and ends. The vital indications of culture are space and cities. Urban identity constitutes a complement with physical environment and mode of life where it takes place in it. Urban identity is a cultural fact the constitution of which is effected by designer as much as the society, interpreting the new and old elements. The formation and transformation of urban and architectural identity is directly coordinated with also urban planning decisions, preservation decisions and their implementations. Anatolia had included many cultures inside through the history, and these cultures had joined one within the other. This situation also effected architecture as the case in every field. Turkish culture represents its own integrity with the synthesis of Asian, Anatolian, Mediterranean, Islam, Seljuk, Ottoman, West and etc?cultures. Within the context of this thesis, the affect of cultural identity in Turkey on architecture is studied beginning from Mesopotamian civilization to present day. In chapter 1, the purpose, comprehension and methodology of the thesis which has the subject of ?The Affect of Cultural Identity in Turkey on Architecture? are emphasized. In chapter 2, culture, identity, cultural identity, architectural identity the keywords of the thesis subject are defined, and the relation between these terms are expanded with various examples. In chapter 3, the state of cultures that constitute Anatolian local identity, planning and technical methods developed by the cultures, their effects on following civilizations are briefly mentioned; interaction between identities of Ottomans, Seljuks, principalities and local identities as a result of these cultural developments, and the state of how it affected the architecture, is explained with related examples. In chapter 4, the change in Ottoman identity which is effected by the West in 19th century, and the affects of this change on architecture is discussed. In chapter 5, the state of cultural identity in proclamation of Republic and its development periods is approached, its effects on architecture in those periods and nowadays are discussed. Keywords: Culture, identity, cultural identiy, architectural identity.