At the next session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, the status of “World Heritage Site” in Turkey was awarded to two sites – the city of Bursa together with the preserved Ottoman village of Cumalikyzyk and the city of Bergama with the ruins of the ancient city of Pergamon located in it.
At the 38th meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held in the Qatari capital Doha, two of Turkey's most beautiful landmarks were awarded the status of "World Heritage Site".
In 2000, the project, titled “Bursa and Cumalıkızık: Cradle of the Ottoman Empire,” was included in the temporary list of World Heritage Sites. In 2014, during the 38th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, it was decided to grant it official status.
Bursa is one of the most beautiful cities in Turkey with a centuries-old history. In the 14th century, it was the capital of the young Ottoman Empire. In the settlement of Cumalikizik, authentic buildings from the Ottoman period have been preserved to this day.
In addition, during the same meeting of the Commission, the ruins of the ancient city of Pergamon, located in the Bergama district of Izmir Province, were included in the official list of World Heritage sites. The project, entitled “Pergamon: Multi-layered Cultural Space,” had been on the temporary list of World Heritage sites since 2010.
The city of Pergamon was founded in the 12th century BC and was the largest cultural and economic center of the Hellenistic world. It housed the second largest library after the Library of Alexandria. According to legend, parchment was invented there, which is where it got its name.
The city also contains buildings from a later period, belonging to the Roman and Byzantine empires.
Thus, the number of Turkish landmarks included in the list of World Heritage Sites has reached 13. In 2015, the city of Diyarbakir and Ephesus will join the fight for the right to have this status.
The list of World Heritage Sites in Turkey includes the following sites:
• Historical part of Istanbul;
• Goreme National Park and Cappadocia Rocks;
• Cathedral Mosque and Hospital in the city of Divriği, Sivas Province;
• ruins of the Hittite capital Hattusa;
• Nemrut-Dag tomb;
• Pamukkale and the ancient city of Hierapolis;
• Xanthos-Letoon - the capital of ancient Lycia;
• the city of Safranbolu;
• archaeological excavations of ancient Troy;
• Selimiye Mosque complex and fortress in Edirne;
• Neolithic settlement of Catalhoyuk.
Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Omer Celik was the first to share the good news with his Twitter followers that Türkiye has become the owner of two more cultural heritage sites. The minister thanked everyone who made this possible.
