Traditional houses in Ürgüp/Ayvalı rural heritage area: Vernacular architecture, spirit of place and local identity

Within the scope of the plans made for the protection of rural architectural heritage areas, especially the concepts of vernacular architecture, spirit of the place and local identity should be carefully considered. As a result of interventions made without considering these concepts, it is possible to lose the local identity and the spirit of the settlement area in heritage areas. There are many declarations prepared by international institutions and organizations on this subject. In particular, the studies carried out by ICOMOS on this subject include important determinations that should find their counterparts not only in international platforms but also in national legislation. This study aims to determine the local identity components specific to the settlements that can be defined as rural architectural heritage areas through the definitions of vernacular architecture and spirit of the place defined by ICOMOS and to integrate these three concepts. For this purpose, Ayvalı village in the Cappadocia Region, which is on the World Cultural Heritage List, was selected as the sample research area. The fact that Ayvalı is a rural settlement area where the natural and built environment can be observed together, its ability to carry examples of construction traditions from different periods to the present day without deterioration and the rapid change and transformation capacity of the region are the main reasons for considering this settlement. In this context, firstly the general settlement characteristics and structural character in the area were determined, typology studies were carried out and eight components defining the local identity were defined. These components were compared and matched with ICOMOS's vernacular architecture and spirit of place indicators. Thus, it is aimed that the determined components have high value at national and international levels and that these components can be used as local identity indicators in different rural settlements