مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - The Effect of Protection Satuses on Protection-Use Balance: The Case of Zelve Open Air Museum (Nevşehir/Avanos)

Abstract :

Cappadocia, which is one of Turkey’s most important destinations by virtue of its natural, historical and cultural features, houses unique places within it. Having been declared an open air museum taking into account its natural structure and archaeological heritage, Zelve is one of the two open air museums in the region. Zelve Open Air Museum, which is a UNESCO World Heritage and situated within Goreme National Park, is at the same time a natural and archaeological site. These protection statuses have made it difficult for local people living in the region to make tourism investments and engage in tourism. This study investigated the effect of protection statuses on the balance between protection and use, taking Zelve Open Air Museum as a case in point. Case study, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used in this study and focus group interview, observation, interview and document analysis techniques were employed to collect data. The village people, who regarded the area as their own property before its declaration as an open air museum, think that Zelve was seized from them after its conversion into a museum and other protection statuses. The problems which local people met were revealed in the study and possible solutions to them were proposed.