At the 45th meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 16-20 September 2023, the ancient city of Gordion and Anatolia’s medieval mosques with wooden poles and beams were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Thus, the number of Turkey’s assets on the list reached 21.
Gordion Ancient City
The ancient city of Gordion, located in Ankara, is a settlement area that hosted the legends of King Midas and Alexander the Great’s ‘Gordion Knot’ and is among the rare regions of the world where the most extended settlement is seen. In Gordion, efforts have been ongoing since 2012 for its inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The settlement, which began around 2500 BCE (Early Bronze Age), continues today in Yassıhöyük, adjacent to the ancient city. The settlement in and around the ancient city has been going on for 4,500 years without much interruption.
Wood-Supported Mosques of Anatolia
Konya Beyşehir Eşrefoğlu Mosque, Eskişehir Sivrihisar Great Mosque, Kastamonu Kasaba Köy Mahmut Bey Mosque, Ankara Ahi Şerefeddin (Arslanhane) Mosque and Afyonkarahisar Great Mosque became Turkey’s first serial cultural assets on the World Heritage List. Although these buildings, which reflect the medieval period, are located in different cities, they have standard features. The wooden-supported mosques in Anatolia, which have survived to the present day in a well-preserved state, also reflect Anatolian life.
Text-photos: İsmail Şahinbaş, Beyşehir Photo: Tamer Gümüş