Introduction

The inventory of archaeological sites in Turkey, as compiled over a decade by the Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project, is based on sites documented by archeological surveys and excavations from the 1880s to the present. Explorative fieldwork was necessitated by the scattered and disorganized nature of the existing documentation. With the above mentioned necessities the fieldwork became inevitable. That is how the foundation of  TAY Expeditions (TAYEx – TAY Expedition) was composed. The first phase aiming at the prehistoric settlements started in 2000, and was completed in 2004. The second, and last phase was performed in 2008, and it covered the Byzantine period buildings in Marmara Region.


The Results of Six Years of Fieldwork

The first phase of the explorative fieldwork covering prehistorical period, that started in 2000, was completed, and all of the settlements/find-spots ranging between Paleolithic and Early Bronze Age have been scanned with regards to the seven geographical regions system. Settlements of Marmara-Aegean in 2000, Meditarranean-Southeastern Anatolia in 2001, Central Anatolia in 2002, Black Sea-Eastern Anatolia in 2003 and settlements located in some provinces that could not be visited before due to bad weather or security concerns were documented in 2004. As a result, data regarding published sites have been verified and updated; the geographical position of settlements/find-spots has been clearly fixed by means of new technologies; a visual archive of Turkey's archaeology has been created; and all of this have been shared with the scientific community and the public through printed and electronic media.

Throughout the 6 years in which TAYEx activities were carried out;

- A team comprising of almost 150 people were involved,
- A total of 67,528 miles were covered,
- And over 3300 settlements/buildings were documented, accompanied by reports, coordinates, and measurements.

As an outcome;

- 37.693 (51 Gb) digital photographs were taken,
- 11.102 analog slides were produced,
- 245 Gb of video was recorded.

Explorative fieldwork has shown that buildings which were used in recent periods in addition to prehistoric settlements, such as mounds and caves, though no less culturally significant than the more visible late period sites and even though they are not visually appealing for tourism revenue in the modern sense, have been intensely damaged. Based on this finding, an annual report called “Archaeological Destruction in Turkey” was prepared in Turkish and in English. Covering the present survey area, the report was sent to 600 related persons and institutions at home and abroad following a press conference. Data on the causes, types, and distribution of the destruction were categorized and published for the use of the scientific and administrative communities (The web version of these reports’summaries can be accessed by clicking the corresponding region’s link on the left. The complete versions of the region reports are available as .pdf documents in each corresponding web page).

49 museums located within our expedition area were provided with the results of our activity in the region throughout the first phase of TAYEx. Detailed lists of the settlements/structures documented by TAY Project were delivered to related museums, and feedback was received from 30 museums regarding the registration status of settlements/structures  (including information about natural preservation areas). This interaction initiated by our project helps museums in keeping track of detailed information about the archaeological settlements/structures  which had already been explored as well as providing them with database support for the facilitation and expansion of registration procedures. We would thus like to extend our gratitude to the museums, particularly those in Adana, Adiyaman, Afyon, Ankara, Antalya, Bilecik, Burdur, Bursa, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kilis, Konya, Konya-Eregli, Kütahya, Malatya, Mardin, Milas, Nevsehir, Nigde, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat and Usak for giving us feedback.


Observations – Suggestions

The explorative fieldwork activities have led us to highlight some facts, which were already emphasized in previous reports. They are summarized below:

- The public and the governmental organizations that indirectly contribute to the destruction through their careless activities should be informed about how mounds, cave formations, find-spots, structures and archaeological settlements were composed.

- Registration procedures for known and visible mounds/structures should immediately be initiated and ongoing registration applications should be finalized without further delay.

- Preservation measures should be increased at registered settlements/structures, and the sanctioning of construction by status downgrading should never be allowed.

- The cultural and historical heritage should not be articulated only for touristic purposes.

- A healthy coordination should be established between all related bodies for the preservation of cultural heritage.

- The remains of ancient cultures become commodities when branded ‘cultural heritage’. We should instead use the term ‘cultural trust’, which would more accurately emphasize the concept as something that we need to preserve for future generations, not as something that was preserved for us so that we could spend it freely.


Conclusion

Our observations and suggestions summarized above and in regional reports are aimed at not losing more, at developing urgent solutions, and at taking necessary precautions against the loss of this irreplaceable heritage which we believe should be thought of not as 'cultural heritage' but as 'cultural trust'.

We at TAY Project will press on with our main responsibility, completing and consistently updating the inventory of archaeological settlements in Turkey and sharing that with the public. Meanwhile, we will continue to monitor the destruction in our country, which we define as “intense, widespread, and continuous”, and accordingly, we will notify the national and international community and authorities over and over again.

Furthermore, as made clear in all of our reports, we are prepared to share our 16 years' worth of experience and knowledge on destruction and on other issues with any person or organization that believes in the necessity of investigating and preserving cultural heritage and passing this knowledge on to further generations, and to those who regard themselves as “hosts, not guests” in this country.