The ancient city of Anazarbos and its significance as a world heritage site

Abstract

The concept of world heritage constitutes an important political, cultural and economic agenda in contemporary society, even though it has been criticized for being Eurocentric. In the case of developing countries such as Turkey, inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List helps generate much needed income through grants and tourism activity. There are currently eighteen sites in Turkey that are on the World Heritage List, and another eighty-three on the tentative list, the majority of which have been inscribed in the last decade. However, such an acceleration of attempts to promote sites as world heritage because of their attributes can also lead to conflicts about the values of the sites, project management, community enhancement and the degree to which important related studies are carried out. The ancient city of Anazarbos is one that exemplifies such a situation. The site's history as cultural and military cross-roads in the Cilicia region, and the potential to reveal those who successively inhabited and controlled it paved the way to its inclusion in the tentative list in 2014 by meeting the outstanding universal values. In this context, this study aims to provide an accurate background of in the hope of raising its status so that further research can be carried out. The study first presents the case for the concept of world heritage and then offers a thorough assessment of the city in terms of its heritage significance. Following a discussion on the values associated with the site and the changing dynamics after its inclusion to the list, the study concludes with suggestions for its holistic conservation.