VIRTUAL Barcelona

Abstract

Arsuz is a coastal resort town in Hatay Province (Turkey) that was severely impacted by the earthquakes of February 2023. The town is relatively less affected by the disasters than the larger urban centers in the region yet its rich cultural heritage and landscapes are under the threat of an uncontrolled growth. The cultural geography of Arsuz that lies on a plain between the Mediterranean Sea and Amanos Mountains is a unique combination of coastal landscapes with tourism infrastructure and modern architectural heritage; vernacular settlements that are home to tangible and intangible heritage; agricultural landscapes that are declared as Large Plain Protection Zone; and archeological sites dating back millennia. Despite the steady expansion of the built fabric of Arsuz in the recent decades, these rich cultural landscapes are still well preserved. However, after the recent earthquakes inhabitants of the neighboring cities of Antakya and Iskenderun started living in their holiday homes in Arsuz permanently, as some lost their urban residences, and “temporary” tent and container cities are built on the agricultural fields for those left homeless. The population of the town doubled since the earthquakes and both experts and locals fear that it will soon turn into an urban area with a completely different density, character and landscape. This paper aims to present a basic mapping of the cultural landscapes of Arsuz and their prominent elements and discuss possible scenarios of post-disaster transformation of the town, in relation to the topics of sustainability and heritage preservation.