A Palimpsest in the Historical Process: Büyükada

Abstract

The built environment on Earth is shaped as the reflection of socio-cultural, economic, and technological dynamics on the ground by combining with natural dynamics throughout history. These dynamics change periodically, and as a result of these changes, various layers are formed in the built environment. Observations of the layers formed between a place's unique thresholds of periodic change provide information that helps to understand the history of the formation of that place. This study it is aimed to read and classify the changes in the built environment in the Büyükada sample area, which is a multi-layered settlement area with the effect of its multicultural social structure and periodic changes in the light of the concept of palimpsest. In the study, firstly, the change processes of the built environment in Büyükada were classified based on the specific periodic change thresholds of the region. Then, the change studies in the context of stratification were carried out with the help of field, structure, and toponymy scales. In the final stage, the layered associations that could be understood were identified and interpreted in the theoretical light of the concept. With the field research shaped in this direction, the use of the idea of palimpsest as a research tool in a multi-layered settlement unit has been proposed. The information synthesized as a result of the research leads to considering what suggestions should be made for protecting the layers.