| Inscription
of Çatalhöyük on the UNESCO World Heritage List
In 2012 the site was
designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During its session on July 1st,
the UNESCO World Heritage Committee which is meeting in St. Petersburg
between 25 June - 6 July 2012 for its annual session accepted the inclusion
of the Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük among the World Heritage Sites.
UNESCO is an international
organisation devoted to caring for cultural and natural sites of outstanding
value. Outstanding Universal Value means cultural and/or natural significance
which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of
common importance for present and future generations of all humanity. As
such, the permanent protection of this heritage is of the highest importance
to the international community as a whole. The Committee defines the criteria
for the inscription of properties on the World Heritage List.
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Statement
of Çatalhöyüks Outstanding Universal Value
Criterion (iii): Çatalhöyük
provides a unique testimony to a moment of the Neolithic, in which the
first agrarian settlements were established in central Anatolia and developed
over centuries from villages to urban centres, largely based on egalitarian
principles. The early principles of these settlements have been well preserved
through the abandonment of the site for several millennia. These principles
can be read in the urban plan, architectural structures, wall paintings
and burial evidence. The stratigraphy of up to 18 settlement layers provides
an exceptional testimony to the gradual development, re-shaping and expansion
of the settlement.
Criterion (iv): The house
clusters of Çatalhöyük, characterized by their streetless neighbourhoods,
dwellings with roof access, and house types representing a highly circumscribed
distribution of activity areas and features according to a clear spatial
order aligned on cardinal directions, form an outstanding settlement type
of the Neolithic period. The comparable sizes of the dwellings throughout
the city illustrate an early type of urban layout based on community and
egalitarian ideals. |
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| To sum up, the decision
was based on emphasized that Çatalhöyük, the history of which dates back
to 7,400 B.C., represents a unique testimonial to a certain stage of Neolithic
Period and displays a settlement style that illustrates a significant phase
in the human history and an urban planning that is based on a sense of
community and ideals of equality. |
Learn more: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1405/
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