A Monograph of the Akin Village, the Province of Aksaray

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to reveal the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the Akin Village in the province of Aksaray, Turkey. The Akin Village has not previously attracted the attention of researchers. Another reason for conducting this study is that carved rock structures have rapidly started to be lost. This study is designed in the form of a village monograph. The intangible cultural heritage of the village is examined based on beliefs, traditions, folklore, on-site in-depth observations, and interviews with the villagers. Its tangible cultural heritage is investigated by surveying architectural works, preparing drawings for publication, and photography. The examination of architectural works is carried out by including one mosque, one fountain, and three carved rock structures. The concept of living in caves, which are perhaps the oldest forms of rural architecture, in the Paleolithic Period is well-known, while it is stated that this form of living continued also in the Neolithic Period in the Cappadocia region. With the migration movements starting in the 16th century toward the Akin Village and its vicinity, the style of living in carved rock structures and underground cities whose examples were observed in Cappadocia by people started to be implemented in caves. This migration movement continued in the region, and people lived in twenty caves located in the Old Akin Village. Today’s elderly, who were born in these caves, report that people used to inhabit these structures until the 1960s. Life in the village which was moved to its current location started with the distribution of private-registered land to the people in 1966 by state support. The Old Akin Village Mosque survives today as a representation of the deep-rooted wooden post mosque-building tradition of Anatolia. Similarly, the freshwater fountain sustains the most beautiful form of traditional aqua architecture in the region with its sharp, arched style, reservoir, and sink. We owe it to future generations to preserve and maintain the tangible and intangible elements that are the living embodiments of our cultural heritage. Works of architecture and carved rock structures in and around the Old Akin Village that await urgent intervention should be taken under protection as soon as possible.