Transnational Serial Architectural Heritage in Turkey: Traces of the Roman Empire via Egnatia

• Main Authors: Aylin Akçabozan Taşkiran, Can Şakir Binan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Athens Institute for Education and Research 2021-03-01
• Series: Athens Journal of Architecture
• Online Access: https://www.athensjournals.gr/architecture/2021-7-0-1-Taskiran.pdf

The term “Transnational Serial Property” generally refers to expansive World Heritage sites, which extend across the territory of two or three UNESCO Convention member states. Transnational serial properties provide various cultural and natural qualities as well as a number of local, regional and national series of nominations in World Heritage. Serial Nominations consist of more components that developed jointly in cultural connections. Each individual element is not only in unique universal value, but also the series as whole have the cultural integrity. However, in today’s world, the speed of globalization creates severe problems on World Heritage areas such that the current trends unfortunately suggest an increasing depreciation through existing cultural heritage. There are numerous potential Transnational Serial World Heritage properties in Turkey, many of existing cultural routes. At this point, by highlighting the need for re-evaluation of traces of the Roman Empire as a Transnational Serial architectural heritage, this paper explains the critical discussion of World Heritage areas which should be evaluated as a Serial Transnational Architectural Heritage. An example of this is the Via Egnatia, a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC, was the first Roman highway to be built east of the Adriatic. It passes through the Roman provinces of Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thrace, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey. The research study aims to provide a framework for the Transnational Serial World Heritage properties in general and mainly focuses on traces of the Roman Empire and cultural routes. Within the context of the cultural routes, Via Egnatia and the need for evaluation as a serial hybrid heritage by concerning preservation of historical, archeological and other values will be discussed. Connected to the information gathered, the paper finalized with a summary on Transnational Serial Nomination system and the transformation of the historical road as a cultural and communicational connection from past to present.