The Boncuklu Project Steve Chaddock | Timeline Heritage Driving through central Anatolia today, the plain east of Konya is notable for its well-developed network of arable fields serviced by irrigation canals which are set in a predom- inantly flat landscape. What is less obvious is that this area of modern farming practice is custodian to a remarkable ancient heritage. Approximately 10,500 years ago people in this area adopted a settled farming lifestyle, and at Boncuklu we are uncovering evidence of this Neolithic phenomenon. The change in lifestyle coincided with major environmental changes and archaeologists are interested in researching the wider significance of these changes and how they relate to other geographical areas, such as the Fertile Crescent. To help visitors understand how significant the archaeological remains at Boncuklu are, plans are now underway to construct a Visitor Centre adjacent to the höyük in the village of Hayıroğlu. The Visitor Centre will operate all year round, access being provided by the site guard. The expected audience is a mix of Turkish- and English-speaking visitors covering a broad age range, including groups of school children. The Visitor Centre at Boncuklu, in conjunction with the facilities at and related to the UNECSCO World Heritage Site of Çatal- höyük, will create a Neolithic trail in this part of Turkey, increasing the attractiveness of the area to visitors. The methods of interpretation used at the centre will reflect the diversity of our audience. Although it will be a modern construction, the Visitor Centre building will contain echoes of the mud-brick Neolithic buildings found during excava- tions: wall and floor textural finishes and colours will be derived from discoveries made on site. In line with the guidelines of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, there will be no original artefacts on display, and images or reconstructions will be used instead. Text, photographs and illustrations will help visitors to under- stand the reason for the Boncuklu excavation programme and the significance of its findings. During 2012 I have created a staged interpretation plan for Boncuklu. Stage one of the plan aims to deliver interpretive content in the Visitor Centre as well as a new visitor pathway onto the höyük and a site orientation leaflet and supporting web content. Later stages envisage the development of a recreated mud-brick dwelling, a shelter to enable the display of the excavated house remains as well as publications such as an educational pack aimed at schools. The plan is based on a developed understanding of the Boncuklu site and an analysis of the current visitor experi- ences on offer at nearby Çatalhöyük and Aşıklı Höyük. Bearing in mind the strengths of these other sites, a clear focus on what is significant at Boncuklu is proposed – being both different from and complimentary to other regional attrac- tions. We have identified four key foci for the new centre. 36 | Heritage Turkey | 2012 In the south shelter, we added substantially to the reinforcement of the exposed earth surfaces by using sacking and geotextiles. In addition, a team from Southampton University came to the site and made important changes to the display in the Visitor Centre and to the information panels on the site. The team members also assisted in the production of plans for the new series of experimental houses that we would like to start constructing in 2013, and the plans were passed through the Konya Koruma Kurulu successfully. The Southampton team also prepared for printing a version of the site guide book in Turkish, to be sold at the site, and a new information leaflet to be handed to tourists during their visits. A new updated infor- mation panel was placed at the entrance to the site. The educational programme based at the site has continued to be highly successful. Over recent years, Gülay Sert has brought up to 600 children and educators to the site each season. The children and other participants spend a day at the site in small groups learning about the site and about heritage in Turkey. They also take part in craft exercises (see photo below) and in excavating and sieving the mounds of earth left by James Mellaart. In 2012 a wide range of schools and educational programmes was included. Veysel Apaydin is studying the long-term effectiveness of these programmes as part of his PhD research at University College London. Local community participation in the site and project was fostered by a series of activities organised by Sema Bağcı. Newsletters were produced for the local villages and talks were given for local groups. The local villagers were also invited to a festival at the site, at which the work on the site and in the laboratories was explained, and discussions were held with the men and women from the villages about how the site should be developed.
Transcript
The Boncuklu Project
Steve Chaddock | Timeline Heritage
Driving through central Anatolia today, the plain east ofKonya is notable for its well-developed network of arablefields serviced by irrigation canals which are set in a predom-inantly flat landscape. What is less obvious is that this area ofmodern farming practice is custodian to a remarkable ancientheritage. Approximately 10,500 years ago people in this areaadopted a settled farming lifestyle, and at Boncuklu we areuncovering evidence of this Neolithic phenomenon. Thechange in lifestyle coincided with major environmentalchanges and archaeologists are interested in researching thewider significance of these changes and how they relate toother geographical areas, such as the Fertile Crescent. To helpvisitors understand how significant the archaeologicalremains at Boncuklu are, plans are now underway to constructa Visitor Centre adjacent to the höyük in the village ofHayıroğlu.
The Visitor Centre will operate all year round, accessbeing provided by the site guard. The expected audience is amix of Turkish- and English-speaking visitors covering abroad age range, including groups of school children. TheVisitor Centre at Boncuklu, in conjunction with the facilitiesat and related to the UNECSCO World Heritage Site of Çatal-höyük, will create a Neolithic trail in this part of Turkey,increasing the attractiveness of the area to visitors. Themethods of interpretation used at the centre will reflect thediversity of our audience. Although it will be a modernconstruction, the Visitor Centre building will contain echoesof the mud-brick Neolithic buildings found during excava-tions: wall and floor textural finishes and colours will bederived from discoveries made on site.
In line with the guidelines of the Turkish Ministry ofCulture and Tourism, there will be no original artefacts ondisplay, and images or reconstructions will be used instead.Text, photographs and illustrations will help visitors to under-stand the reason for the Boncuklu excavation programme andthe significance of its findings.
During 2012 I have created a staged interpretation plan forBoncuklu. Stage one of the plan aims to deliver interpretivecontent in the Visitor Centre as well as a new visitor pathwayonto the höyük and a site orientation leaflet and supportingweb content. Later stages envisage the development of arecreated mud-brick dwelling, a shelter to enable the displayof the excavated house remains as well as publications such asan educational pack aimed at schools.
The plan is based on a developed understanding of theBoncuklu site and an analysis of the current visitor experi-ences on offer at nearby Çatalhöyük and Aşıklı Höyük.Bearing in mind the strengths of these other sites, a clear focuson what is significant at Boncuklu is proposed – being bothdifferent from and complimentary to other regional attrac-tions. We have identified four key foci for the new centre.
36 | Heritage Turkey | 2012
In the south shelter, we added substantially to thereinforcement of the exposed earth surfaces by using sackingand geotextiles.
In addition, a team from Southampton University came tothe site and made important changes to the display in theVisitor Centre and to the information panels on the site. Theteam members also assisted in the production of plans for thenew series of experimental houses that we would like to startconstructing in 2013, and the plans were passed through theKonya Koruma Kurulu successfully. The Southampton teamalso prepared for printing a version of the site guide book inTurkish, to be sold at the site, and a new information leaflet tobe handed to tourists during their visits. A new updated infor-mation panel was placed at the entrance to the site.
The educational programme based at the site hascontinued to be highly successful. Over recent years, GülaySert has brought up to 600 children and educators to the siteeach season. The children and other participants spend a dayat the site in small groups learning about the site and aboutheritage in Turkey. They also take part in craft exercises (seephoto below) and in excavating and sieving the mounds ofearth left by James Mellaart. In 2012 a wide range of schoolsand educational programmes was included. Veysel Apaydinis studying the long-term effectiveness of these programmesas part of his PhD research at University College London.
Local community participation in the site and project wasfostered by a series of activities organised by Sema Bağcı.Newsletters were produced for the local villages and talkswere given for local groups. The local villagers were alsoinvited to a festival at the site, at which the work on the siteand in the laboratories was explained, and discussions wereheld with the men and women from the villages about how thesite should be developed.
(1) Environmental change. To illustrate how different thelocal environment was 10,500 years ago, an interpreted gardenwill be developed adjacent to the Centre. Wetland environ-ments will host the sorts of plants found during the excavations.
(2) Neolithic landscape context. Regional connectionswill be demonstrated through annotated regional/local mapsshowing the relative location of raw materials and otherresources in the Neolithic landscape which have been foundduring excavations.
(3) Visual connection between Boncuklu and the Centre.To convey a sense of what the site may have looked like in theNeolithic and because there is little in the way of easy-to-conserve upstanding remains, a scale model will be constructedwithin the Centre and a look-through image will be printedonto film and adhered to a window that overlooks the site.
(4) Scientific study. A significant feature of the researchwork at Boncuklu is the detailed processing and analysis of allfinds, providing much of our new understandings about theNeolithic lifestyle. For instance, we understand the localenvironment and the diet of the Boncuklu residents better bystudying phytoliths (silicon plant skeletons), and carbon andnitrogen isotope signatures in excavated bone fragments. Inthe new centre, a scientific interactive exhibit is planned toenable visitors to take part in the discovery process.
In implementing the interpretation plan, we are veryfortunate to have secured funding from Hedef Alliance whichwill enable the Visitor Centre building to be constructed.Additional funding is currently being raised to deliver the fit-out of the centre, the garden and further phases. For moreinformation about the project or to get involved, pleasecontact Dr Douglas Baird at [email protected].
2012 | Heritage Turkey | 37
Islamic fashion, economy and morality in modern Turkey
Magdalena Craciun | British Institute at Ankara
This report presents an on-going anthropological researchproject on Islamic fashion and the articulation of economyand morality in contemporary Turkey. A first stage offieldwork was carried out in Istanbul between March and June2012, while I was the Post-doctoral Research Fellow of theBritish Institute at Ankara.
Since it first burst onto the scene, Islamic fashion hastraversed different stages, stylistically and institutionally.Nevertheless, it has remained a controversial domain,nourishing anxieties among seculars and Islamists alike. Inthe 1980s, after decades in which the secular regimedenounced veiling as ‘backwards’ and ‘uncivilised’, theIslamic revival movement brought it centre stage. However,Islamic women donned a stylistically unprecedented form ofveiling, consisting of a large pinned headscarf, thatcompletely covered the hair, neck and shoulders, and a longloose-fitting overcoat. In response to the increasing publicvisibility of this political style of veiling, the secular publicvehemently voiced its fears that the modernisation ofTurkish society would be reversed. The state banned thewearing of the headscarf in public institutions. Theheadscarf, fashionable or not, remains a highly chargedpolitical issue.
Fashion incorporated this politicised style of veiling andsoftened it, offering more colourful garments, smallerheadscarves and ever more form-fitting overcoats. Althoughthe requirement to cover the head and the neck completelyremains a constant preoccupation for designers and manufac-turers of tesettür garments, how this further translates intoparticular styles of dress is highly variable. And whether andto what extent the resulting styles and their marketing reflectIslamic values and virtues is a topic of on-going debateamong seculars and Islamists alike.
Moreover, with the empowerment of an Islamicbourgeoisie that keenly embraces consumerism, wearing acertain style of veiling does not necessarily signify politicalaffiliation and personal piety, but becomes a performance ofdistinction, in terms of class, taste, urbanity and gender. Thewearers of fashionable Islamic outfits are often accused ofmoral weakness by seculars and Islamists alike, their clothingdecisions thought to reflect consumer and aesthetic choicesrather than political and religious convictions.
Today, Islamic fashion is a mature sector, with an everincreasing number of companies and designers offering aprofusion of styles and marketing them through fashion shows,advertising, fashion magazines and specialist boutiques. Thisfashion is both high-profile and mass-produced, and it is incor-porated into mainstream fashion cycles. In addition, this is arelatively normalised sector (i.e. not overtly ideological).While Tekbir (God is great), the leading company in this sector,has maintained over the years that its mission is to use fashion
