OVERVIEW
In
1993 the Kerkenes Project was inaugurated to study the Iron Age
capital that had once stood on the Kerkenes Dağ which overshadows
the Village of Sahmuratlı. From the outset the Project Directors
were conscious that this international research project would have
a positive impact on the village and the local area, and that it
also had potential at regional and inter-regional level. A central
concern was, and continues to be, that any impact, social, cultural
and economic, should be for the benefit of the village and the region
while also ensuring that the Cultural Heritage of the ancient city
was not only preserved but also presented in meaningful ways to
contemporary and future generations. Rising awareness of the importance
of Kerkenes as a Cultural heritage resource is reflected in the
growing number of tourists visit the site.
The Kerkenes Eco-Center Project was initiated in 2002 through the
Australian Embassy Direct Aid Program. By 2003 it had grown into
the concept of an Eco-Center devoted to research into and promotion
of sustainable village life. The aim is to halt, and even reverse,
migration from rural areas to urban centres. Advocating an environmentally
friendly approach to the development and improvement of rural settlements,
the project works closely with the Şahmuratlı Village and Kerkenes
Association for Public Relations, Prosperity, Help and Support established
to promote the welfare of the village.
Official recognition of the Village Association was another significant
milestone opening up more avenues for the implementation of future
programmes.
