Çatalhöyük is a 9500-year-old town, one of the earliest in the world, with rich art and sculpture in its houses. The site has revealed some of the world’s earliest mural art and is often seen as central to the origin of civilization in Turkey and the Middle East. However, the houses at Çatalhöyük are made of unfired mud brick and so offer a major challenge for conservation and site presentation. Additionally there has also been much change in land management in the area over recent decades leading to a major drop in the water table and changes in runoff and erosion, factors which are also affecting the site negatively. Çatalhöyük was added to Turkey’s World Heritage Site Tentative List in February 2009. (credits: globalheritagefund.org)
project info:
project team: Atolye Mimarlik
year: 2009
status: completed
location: Çatalhöyük, Turkey, 37° 40′ 3″ N, 32° 49′ 42″ E
size: – m^2
budget: – €
client: The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism
sponsors: YapiKredi, Boeing, Merko, Thames Water, Turkish Cultural Foundation, Royal Dutch Shell
collaborative universities & institutions: Stanford University, Turkish Cultural Foundation, Institute of Archaeology University College London, British Institute at Ankara, Istanbul University, Selcuk University, UC Berkeley, Adam Mickiewicz University, SUNY Buffalo
shelter type: enclosure
structure and materials: concrete foundations, woden (glulam) structure with steel diagonal tubes, polycarbonate roofing sheets
intended duration: permanent
shelter function: –
threats: high winds, heavy snow and erosion, agricultural encroachment on West Mound
evaluation: Shelter Assessment Initiative
archaeologicalshelters 