IN-PERSON ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)

Abstract

This article explores the vital role of state- and school-supported domestic research journeys and their associated documentation in shaping the architectural culture and the idea of “heritage” in early Republican Turkey through analyzing published material. Architectural memoirs reveal that such trips were intended as a way of learning about the “motherland” and facilitating a “return to oneself.” The Turkish state’s promotion of this locality is clearly exemplified by the Republican People’s Party (CHP) architectural research trip to Erzurum in 1944. This trip, which expanded on earlier artistic “country trips [yurt gezileri],” aimed to establish a local architectural identity by directing architects to concentrate on Anatolian heritage. Erzurum was chosen because it contains the oldest examples of Anatolian Turkic architecture, and the trip’s main goal was to produce detailed survey drawings for an exhibition. Later, from the 1920s to the 1950s, producing scholarly work that documented various traditional building types became a common practice among architects in Turkey, resulting in numerous publications that preserved this national heritage. These systematic field studies also extended to educational institutions through professors and promoted a greater appreciation for the built environment and heritage in Turkey. Personal accounts, such as that of Kuban, highlight the profound and bonding effects of these domestic research excursions, which generated a deep admiration for Anatolia in the 1950s. This practice underscored the view that architects must first undergo a process of familiarisation and analysis of their environment and culture—a process where travel serves as an essential tool—to achieve original creation. By collectively experiencing and documenting these environments through trips, architects defined Anatolian tradition as a rich heritage with both contemporary and universal values, thereby significantly contributing to architectural education.