SEREN MENDEŞ MANAGING INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE IN TURKEY: FOUR CASES ORIGINATING IN ANTIQUITY A Master’s Thesis MANAGING INTANGIBLE CULTURAL INTANGIBLE MANAGING FOUR CASES by SEREN MENDEŞ ORIGINATING IN ANTIQUITY HERITAGE IN TURKEY: Bilkent Univers Department of Archaeology İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University i ty Ankara June 2021 To my parents Birsen & Oğuz Oktay Mendeş MANAGING INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE IN TURKEY: FOUR CASES ORIGINATING IN ANTIQUITY The Graduate School of Economics and Social Sciences of İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University by SEREN MENDEŞ In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN ARCHAEOLOGY THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY İHSAN DOĞRAMACI BİLKENT UNIVERSITY ANKARA June 2021 I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully I adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in Archaeology. - Prof. Dr. Dominique Kassab Tezgör Supervisor I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in Archaeology. ----Asst.-- -Pr--------of. Dr.------- Charles- Gates Examining Committee Member I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in Archaeology. • Prof. Dr. Bilge Hürmüzlü Kortholt Examining Committee Member Approval of the Graduate School of Economics and Social Sciences --- -------------------------------- Prof. Dr. Refet Gürkaynak Director ABSTRACT MANAGING INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE IN TURKEY: FOUR CASES ORIGINATING IN ANTIQUITY Mendeş, Seren M.A., Department of Archaeology Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dominique Kassab Tezgör June 2021 This thesis concerns the intangible cultural heritage of Turkey. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has taken various steps to safeguard and promote intangible cultural heritage over time. Recently, owing to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, effective strategies have started to occur. The Convention includes two lists, Representative and Urgent Safeguarding Lists, for elements to be nominated and then adopted. Four elements from Turkey have been chosen as case studies because they are originating in antiquity. Three of them are registered in the Representative List: Flatbread making and sharing culture, Dede Korkut epics, and the Mangala game. The fourth one, the Kılıç Kalkan dance, is presented as a suggestion to be also registered in that list. Their roots in the past are examined by using ancient texts and sometimes artifacts. Because nowadays safeguarding intangible cultural heritage is a growing international concern, this thesis also proposes new safeguarding activities. It is hoped that this research will offer various insights into the concept of intangible cultural heritage and that the results will contribute not only to the understanding of intangible cultural heritage from a different perspective but also to help further studies on this topic. Keywords: Intangible Cultural Heritage, UNESCO, Antiquity, Safeguarding, Turkey. ÖZET TÜRKİYE'DE SOMUT OLMAYAN KÜLTÜREL MIRASIN YÖNETİMİ: ANTİK ÇAĞ KAYNAKLI DÖRT VAKA Mendeş, Seren Yüksek Lisans, Arkeoloji Bölümü Tez Danışmanı: Prof. Dr. Dominique Kassab Tezgör Haziran 2021 Bu tez, Türkiye'nin somut olmayan kültürel mirasıyla ilgilidir. Birleşmiş Milletler Eğitim, Bilim ve Kültür Örgütü (UNESCO), somut olmayan kültürel mirası zaman içinde korumak ve desteklemek için çeşitli adımlar atmıştır. Son olarak, Somut Olmayan Kültürel Mirasın Korunmasına İlişkin 2003 tarihli Sözleşme sayesinde etkili stratejiler oluşmaya başladı. Sözleşme, aday gösterilecek ve sonra kabul edilecek unsurlar için Temsili ve Acil Koruma Listeleri olmak üzere iki liste içermektedir. Türkiye'den dört unsur Antik Çağ'da ortaya çıktıkları için vaka çalışması olarak seçilmiştir. Bunlardan üçü Temsili Liste'ye kayıtlıdır: İnce ekmek yapma ve paylaşma kültürü, Dede Korkut destanları, Mangala oyunu. Dördüncüsü, Kılıç Kalkan dansı da bu listeye kaydedilmek üzere bir öneri olarak sunulmuştur. Geçmişteki kökleri, eski metinler ve bazen de eserler kullanılarak incelenmiştir. Günümüzde somut olmayan kültürel mirasın korunması giderek büyüyen bir uluslararası endişe olduğundan, bu tez aynı zamanda yeni koruma önlemleri de önermektedir. Bu araştırmanın somut olmayan kültürel miras kavramına çeşitli bakış açıları sunması ve sonuçların yalnızca somut olmayan kültürel mirasın farklı bir perspektiften anlaşılmasına değil, aynı zamanda bu konuda daha ileri çalışmalara yardımcı olması beklenmektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Somut Olmayan Kültürel Miras, UNESCO, Antik Çağ, Koruma, Türkiye. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I am extremely grateful to my supervisor, Prof. Dominique Kassab Tezgör, for her support, motivation and patience. The purpose of this research would not have been accomplished without her consistent assistance. Her knowledge and guidance have helped me both in my academic and daily life. Working and studying with her was an absolute pleasure and privilege. My gratitude extends to Charles Gates who has guided and inspired me through these years with his courses and suggestions. I am also grateful for his valuable suggestions about this thesis. I would like to give my warmest and sincere thanks to Bilge Hürmüzlü Kortholt for her precious recommendations that significantly helped in the development of my research. I would also like to express my gratitude to the rest of the Department of Archaeology faculty members, Marie-Henriette Gates, Müge Durusu Tanrıöver, N. İlgi Gerçek, Jacques Morin, Julian Bennett, and Thomas Zimmermann for being a mentor to each of us and inspiring us over the years. I could not have imagined having better instructors for studying Archaeology. Most importantly, I owe more than thanks to my family. None of this could have happened without their endless support. They have been my main strength during the research. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my second family in Ankara, the most beautiful people Bilkent has brought to me, Buse Sezer, Cemal Emre Cığız, Öznur Üzmez, Sabri Aslan for many memorable days and their endless support. I would also like to give special thanks to Aslı Saçaklı and Samah Obeid for always believing in me throughout the duration of this research and always having a word of encouragement. I also wish to thank my friends from my hometown, Gizem Atalay, Rabia Demirci and Semih Göktekin who have always been a major source of motivation and support. Last but not least, special thanks must be given to my friends from the department Beril Özbaş, Çağla Durak, Defne Dedeoğlu, Dilara Uçar Sarıyıldız, Duygu Özmen, Eda Doğa Aras, Ege Dağbaşı, Hatibe Kabulantok, Sedef Gökçe Pulak and many more for their valuable support and advice. I will always remember the enlightening and joyful conversations that we had during coffee breaks at Fiero. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. i ÖZET ....................................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................. xi LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................. xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background .......................................................................... 1 1.2 UNESCO .............................................................................. 2 1.3 Methodology and Aim ............................................................ 3 1.4 Outline of the Thesis .............................................................. 4 CHAPTER 2: AN INTRODUCTION TO INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE ... 9 2.1. Definition and Origin of Intangible Cultural Heritage ................. 12 2.2 Definitions ......................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Official Definitions by UNESCO ......................................... 12 2.2.2 Other Definitions ........................................................... 15 2.3 History of Intangible Heritage ............................................... 16 2.3.1 Processes towards Safeguarding Intangible Heritage ........... 16 2.3.2 Recommendation and Proclamations ................................. 17 2.3.3 Steps Taken in Turkey .................................................... 18 2.4 Significance of the Intangible Heritage and the 2003 Convention 19 2.5 Nominations of Intangible Heritage in UNESCO ........................ 21 2.5.1 Lists of Intangible Heritage .............................................. 21 2.5.2 The Intangible Heritage of Turkey .................................... 23 CHAPTER 3: FLATBREAD MAKING AND SHARING CULTURE .......................... 31 3.1 Definition of Bread and Flatbread ........................................... 33 3.2 History of Bread and Flatbread in (Pre-)Neolithic Period & Antiquity